Three language formula

The three-language formula for language learning was formulated in 1968 by the Ministry of Education of the Government of India in consultation with the states. The formula as enunciated in the 1968 National Policy Resolution which provided for the study of "Hindi, English and modern Indian language (preferably one of the southern languages) in the Hindi speaking states and Hindi, English and the Regional language in the non-Hindi speaking States".

The formula was formulated in response to demands from non-Hindi speaking states of the South, such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and mainly Tamil Nadu. Currently, the three language system is not followed in Tamil Nadu due to efforts of former Chief Minister C. N. Annadurai.

The first recommendation for a three-language policy was made by the University Education Commission in 1948–49, which did not find the requirement to study three languages to be an extravagance, citing the precedents of the Netherlands and Switzerland. While accepting that Hindi was itself a minority language, and had no superiority over others such as Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, Urdu and Braj all of which had a longer history and greater body of literature, the commission still foresaw Hindi as eventually replacing English as the means by which every province may participate in Federal functions.

The Education Commission of 1965–66 recommended a modified or graduated three-language formula. Following some debate, the original three-language formula was adopted by the India Parliament in 1968. The 1986 National Policy on Education reiterated the 1968 formula.

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