New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday issued detailed guidelines for implementing the three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, outlining assessment patterns, exemptions, and transition measures for students across various classes.
As per the guidelines, students currently studying in Class 10 will be exempted from the new three-language requirement. For students in Class 9 during the 2026-27 academic session, the third language (R3) will be assessed only through an internal school-based assessment. There will be no CBSE Board examination for the third language when this batch reaches Class 10 in the 2027-28 academic session.
CBSE, along with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), will provide grade-specific learning resources to help students learn the third language.
The announcement comes more than a month after CBSE introduced the requirement of studying three languages, including at least two native Indian languages, for Class 9 students from July 1.
The Board also issued guidelines for students currently studying in Classes 7 and 8 during the 2026-27 academic session. When these students move to Classes 9 and 10, they will continue studying three languages, of which two must be Bhartiya Bhashas.
As a relaxation measure, students who have already chosen and started studying two non-native languages will need to study only one additional Bhartiya Bhasha and continue with it until Class 10.
For these batches too, the third language (R3) will be evaluated only through internal school-based assessment, and no CBSE Board examination will be held for the language in Class 10.
For students entering Class 6 in the 2026-27 academic session and subsequent batches, two of the three languages must be Bhartiya Bhashas. Unlike the transitional batches, these students will have to appear for the CBSE Board examination in the third language (R3) when they reach Class 10.
CBSE stated that dedicated R3 textbooks for Class 6 in all 22 scheduled Bhartiya Bhashas are being made available through NCERT.
The Board also announced several exemptions under the policy. Children with Special Needs (CwSN) will continue to receive relaxations and exemptions from the compulsory third-language requirement in accordance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.
CBSE schools located outside India have been granted complete exemption from offering a native Indian language as the third language. Foreign students returning to India will also be exempted from studying a native Indian language as R3.
The Board further clarified that students whose parents or guardians migrate to another state may continue with their existing language combination chosen as R3 during the middle stage while studying in Class 9. Schools have been directed to make necessary arrangements to support such students.
In April, CBSE announced a phased implementation of the three-language formula from Class 6, along with the introduction of a two-level system for Mathematics and Science for Class 9 from the 2026-27 academic session.
With IANS inputs