The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday announced that the current batch of Class 10 students will not be required to follow the new three-language policy. The board also provided one-time relaxations for students in Classes 7, 8, and 9, exempting them from a board examination in the third language when they reach Class 10.
Exemption for Current Class 10 Students
CBSE clarified that students in Class 10 during the 2026–27 academic year will continue with the old system of two languages. “It is reiterated that there will be no change for students who are in Class 10 during 2026–27, and they will continue with the old system of two languages. No third language is required to be taken by this batch,” the board stated.
New Policy for Class 9 Students
Under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, every student in Class 9 must study three languages, with at least two being Indian languages. As a special one-time relaxation for students already in Class 9 during 2026–27, those who have opted for two non-native languages can continue with them and need to add only one Indian language as the third language (R3).
CBSE explained that if a Class 9 student is studying two Indian languages, such as Hindi and Tamil, they are free to choose either a third Indian language or a non-native language like English or French. If a student has opted for one Indian language and one non-native language, for example Tamil and English, they may choose any third Indian language.
“The third language (R3) will be assessed by your school through an internal school based assessment only. There will be no CBSE Board examination for this third language when this batch progresses to Class 10 2027–28,” the board said.
Relaxation for Classes 7 and 8
Students currently in Classes 7 and 8 will continue to study three languages, with two of them being Indian. As a one-time relaxation for the current batch, students who have already selected and started studying two non-native languages need to study one additional Indian language and continue the same until Class 10. “The third language (R3) will be assessed by the school through an internal school-based assessment only. There will be no CBSE Board examination for this third language when these batches progress to Class 10,” the board clarified.
Future Batches: Class 6 Onwards
When a Class 6 student from the current batch progresses to Class 10, they will be required to take the board examination for the third language. For this and subsequent batches, two of the three languages must be Indian. CBSE will make dedicated third-language textbooks for Class 6 available in 22 scheduled Indian languages.
Exemptions for Schools Outside India
CBSE schools located outside India receive full exemption from requiring a native Indian language as the third language. Foreign students returning to India are also exempted from studying a native Indian language as the third language.
Migration Provisions
“In the case of parents/guardians migrating to another state, the student may continue with the existing combination of languages they opted for as R3 in Middle Stage in Class 9 also. In such cases, schools must necessarily provision adequate resources to support the student’s choices,” CBSE said.
