CBSE schools must include mother tongue in admissions forms: CBSE

New Delhi: Admission forms in schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education or CBSE will have to compulsorily include information of a child's mother tongue as well as preference of the language for study under the three-language formula.

In a communication to all affiliated schools, CBSE said a column must be included in the application form for admission in keeping with the recommendation of the board's examination committee on compulsory registration of mother tongue.

Instructions have also been given to obtain information relating to the preference of languages for study under the three-language formula. Under this formula, any 'modern Indian language' as per the Constitution, could be taken as third language by a student along with English and Hindi.

The communication assumes significance as it comes against the backdrop of a controversy surrounding replacement of Sanskrit with German as the third language in Kendriya Vidyalaya schools.

Information on language preference could also help the schools streamline recruitment of language teachers and make a proper assessment of the preferred language, sources said.

CBSE in an earlier circular had said that children should be able to access education in their mother tongue in the primary stage itself as enshrined under Article 350 A of the Constitution.