New Delhi: For years, foreign languages such as French, German, Spanish and Japanese have occupied a distinct place in Delhi schools, offering students a window to global education and careers. But as schools begin implementing the three-language formula under National Education Policy (NEP), many of these programmes are being scaled back, leaving teachers worried about their future and parents questioning the sudden shift in language choices.For many, the concern goes beyond a change in timetable. It is about the viability of a profession built over years of specialised training and international certification. A French teacher at a private school said there was little clarity on what lay ahead. “We have spent years acquiring specialised degrees, certifications and training to teach foreign languages. Right now, schools are adjusting us by assigning classes in lower grades or involving us in enrichment activities, but nobody can tell us what will happen after a year,” she said.Teachers fear these arrangements may only be temporary. One teacher noted that the real impact would become visible over the next few years as fewer students enter the foreign language stream.“If schools stop introducing foreign languages in Class VI, when these students reach Class IX, there may be no foreign language subjects left in the mainstream curriculum. Foreign language teachers could slowly be pushed out of the system,” the teacher said. “Currently we are being adjusted, but adjustment is not the same as job security.”According to NEP, with effect from July 1, the study of three languages (R1, R2, R3) shall be compulsory for Class IX, with at least two languages being native Indian languages. A CBSE official said students who wish to study a foreign language might do so as the third language only if the other two languages were native Indian languages, or as an additional fourth language. As a result, in practice, schools are using combinations such as English + Hindi + Sanskrit.The uncertainty is already playing out in classrooms. In one private school, parents of classes VII and VIII were informed during a pre-summer orientation that students would have to switch to Sanskrit from the next academic session.“Later, I got a call from DPS Vasant Kunj saying my child and only three other children from his section had opted for the foreign language as the third language and the school will not offer this. My child now has to mandatorily study Sanskrit from July 1,” said Nidhi Sharma, a parent. Families were later told students need not complete their foreign language holiday homework as the subject was being phased out, she added.Under the transition plan of the school, current Class IX students will study a bridge R3 — third language — curriculum based on Class VI-level textbooks, while students now in classes VIII and VII will be required to study the full Class IX R3 syllabus when they reach Class IX in the 2027-28 and 2028-29 academic sessions, respectively. The school has recommended introducing Sanskrit as R3 for these classes after the summer vacation.Many institutions are replacing foreign languages with Sanskrit within the formal curriculum while attempting to retain some international language exposure through enrichment programmes.Ameeta Mohan, principal of Amity International School, Pushp Vihar, said the school offered French and German through language enrichment initiatives. “Following the implementation of NEP 2020, the school has aligned its language programme with the prescribed three-language formula. Hindi is offered as the second language and Sanskrit as the third language,” she said.Mohan said schools were attempting to strike a balance between national policy requirements and parental demand for global languages. However, fitting foreign language instruction into already packed timetables, ensuring qualified teachers are available and responding to varying student demand remain significant challenges.While some schools believe foreign language teachers can be redeployed into enrichment activities, certification programmes and international collaborations, others are less certain.Rooma Pathak, principal of MM Public School in Pitampura, said the policy’s implementation had created confusion among schools and parents alike. According to her, students who had already opted for Spanish in some schools are being shifted to Sanskrit. “The biggest issue is that if students stop opting for certain languages, the teachers of those subjects will eventually become redundant,” she said. “Students had already bought books and started attending classes. Suddenly changing the language midway through the session is extremely difficult.”The impact is already visible in some private schools. At Mamta Modern School, French was offered from Class VI until last year. From the current academic session, it has been discontinued in Class VI and only Sanskrit is being offered. Principal Pallavi Sharma said the French teacher could become surplus next year. “We are exploring options to engage her in teaching non-scholastic subjects, subject to financial feasibility. However, nothing has been finalised yet,” she said.