NCERT Director Prof Dinesh Prasad Saklani defended the rollout of the three-language policy for Classes 9 and 10 under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, calling on schools, parents and communities to collectively adapt to the transition even if there is some “initial discomfort”.
Speaking at the NDTV LearnNXT Conclave 2026, Saklani called the ‘R1, R2, R3’ language model, the three-language approach being implemented in CBSE schools, as central to India’s effort to reconnect students with Indian languages, culture and knowledge systems. He asserted that the approach also prepares Indian students for a global future.
The remarks came amid concerns from parents and schools over the implementation timeline, especially for students who had already opted for foreign languages such as French, German or Spanish in secondary classes. The concerns include uncertainty about academic continuity and board exam patterns.
“If we welcome a new opportunity to learn instead of treating it as stress, the outcome will be different. Learning more languages improves cognition and opens opportunities to understand the country better,” he asserted.
The NCERT Director denied that prioritising Indian languages over foreign languages would weaken India students’ global competitiveness. He pointed out that countries such as Japan, China and France had built strong educational foundations in their native languages.
“You cannot become global by abandoning the local. Your feet must remain firmly on your own soil before you can conquer the world,” he said.
The NCERT chief said children learn languages more effectively at an early age and added that the NEP’s foundational approach was designed around this principle.
He also suggested that students interested in foreign languages would continue to have opportunities through skill-based learning modules and communication courses. “It is not that children will stop learning French or other languages. Those opportunities can continue in different forms,” he added.
To address the concern of the shortage of qualified teachers for regional languages in urban schools, Prof Saklani proposed to tap into community leaders and experts, as well as the use of online learning resources.
“Schools alone cannot implement a policy like NEP. Society must participate. There are trainers, volunteers and community members who can support language teaching,” he said.
According to Prof Saklani, the NEP 2020 also draws inspiration from Indian traditions and culture, something which used to be part of the country’s education system but was dropped when we moved to the formal education system.
During the interaction, Saklani also addressed criticism over NCERT textbook revisions and syllabus rationalisation carried out during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the reduction of curriculum in 2021 was undertaken following recommendations to ease academic pressure on students during the pandemic and remove repetitive material across chapters.
“Every change attracts criticism because viewpoints differ,” he said, while maintaining that NCERT has an institutional mechanism to review and correct errors when identified.
On recent controversies surrounding CBSE Class 12 examination results and technical glitches, Prof Saklani declined to comment in detail, saying the matter fell under the CBSE’s jurisdiction. However, he expressed confidence that any issues would be resolved.
