Opinion: Compulsory Telugu in school – Nothing to worry about

Hyderabad: Several parents whose mother tongue is not Telugu, especially those relocating to Hyderabad from other states and countries, have been fretting a lot about the State government rule making Telugu compulsory in all schools (including CBSE, ICSE, IB, IGCSE etc) for ‘all’ students from grades 1 to 10 from the academic year 2025-26.

Media reports suggest that several parents have planned a huge protest against this and have even launched a campaign in the name of “Freedom to choose Language.” Many others are said to be contemplating a legal route to prevent such a “Telugu Imposition!”

We, at Indic International School, are of the firm opinion that worries and protests in this country are based more on misinformation and incomplete understanding of the government rules. The rules, once fully understood, will ease most, if not all, of the parents’ worries. This post is a continuation of our efforts to provide fully researched and authentic information to all parents on all aspects related to education.

Let us put to rest the biggest worry of the non-native parents with respect to the grades/ranks of the students suffering on account of this ‘Telugu Imposition!’ The grades will not suffer because, as per the rules:

• Only teaching Telugu, which is basic and simple Telugu, has been made mandatory in schools - not assessment in Board Exams.
• CBSE exams are dictated by the CBSE Board (likewise for other boards like ICSE, IB, IGCSE etc) and not by the state government.
• Neither CBSE nor even the state government, for that matter, is making a Board Exam in Telugu mandatory for students of 10th Class.
• The students may, if at all, have only an internal assessment by the school for Telugu and the marks scored here will neither be reflected in the final Marks Memo issued by CBSE nor be counted for their final grade.
• CBSE mandates compulsory assessment of ONLY TWO languages, of which one is English and the other can be ANY language from a list of a total of 40 languages!
• The parents can choose this second language to be Hindi, Telugu or any other that they are comfortable with.

Thus, there arises no question of grades getting affected in 10th class Board exams when there isn’t going to be any mandatory Board exam, in the first place, for Telugu!

Moreover, the state government, most likely conscious and well aware of the issue, has explicitly exempted from this rule – not now but from 01.06.2018 itself - all non-native students coming from other states taking admission in class 8 or above.

Thus, if you are a non-native parent in Telangana and have taken admission this year (2025-26) or anytime earlier, for your children in grades 7 or lower, then learning Telugu is compulsory, but as written above, they will not have to write a Board Exam in Telugu when they reach Grade 10.

So, the only bit of worry, if at all it is a cause for worry, should be about having to necessarily learn basic and simple Telugu. Do consider if learning the basics of a new language is really a cause for worry; It is as big as it’s made out to be.

All top educationists are of the firm opinion that learning more languages only increases the cognitive and mental abilities of students. Moreover, learning the local language only makes life easier in the state. While there is no bit of fanaticism about the local language in either of the Telugu states, as may be seen in some other states, it will surely do no harm learning the beautiful native language of the state you are residing in.

I can add a bit from my own personal experience as a person with mother tongue like Hindi but born and brought up in Hyderabad. I studied Telugu as a third language up to grade 10 in school. I was very reluctant then but was forced to study Telugu not by the government but by my grandfather. Not a day goes by today without me thanking him for this. Makes it easy and enriching to converse and interact with people in Telugu. Let me also add that many of my friends who took “special English” in their school instead of Telugu regret their decision today and envy others like me for our ability to speak and understand Telugu. On the lighter side, if it counts for anything, the joy of watching Telugu films in Telugu is much more than that of watching their dubbed versions.

If there still remain any causes of worry on account of Telugu or any other issue, do write to us or drop in a comment here. We shall do our best to answer all your queries.

Author: - Ashish Naredi, Chairman, Indic International School

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of NewsMeter.