CBSE exempts current Class 10 batch from three-language policy; grants one-time relaxation for Class 9 students
CBSE has revised its three-language policy, exempting the current Class 10 batch and easing norms for Class 9 students. The change follows challenges to the earlier rollout and alters how language and board exam rules will apply in the transition years.
- Jun 29, 2026,
- Updated Jun 29, 2026, 3:49 PM IST
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday, June 29, issued revised guidelines for implementing its three-language policy, exempting the current batch of Class 10 students from the requirement while granting a one-time relaxation to students currently studying in Class 9.
The decision comes more than a month after the board made three languages compulsory for Class 9 students from July 1, requiring them to study at least two native Indian languages. The move had prompted legal challenges from several students and parents.
According to the revised guidelines, the current batch of Class 10 students will not be required to follow the three-language policy. In addition, students currently studying in Classes 7, 8 and 9 will not have to appear for board examinations in a third language when they reach Class 10.
CBSE Academics Director Praggya M. Singh said that, as a one-time relaxation, students currently in Class 9 during the 2026-27 academic session may continue studying two foreign (non-native) languages, provided they also take one Indian language as the third language.
The board had announced in April that the three-language formula would be implemented in phases from Class 6. It had also introduced a two-level system for Mathematics and Science for Class 9 students from the 2026-27 academic session.
Under the new system, both subjects will have a mandatory standard level and an optional advanced level. While all students will appear for a common 80-mark examination, those opting for the advanced level will take an additional paper designed to assess higher-order thinking and conceptual understanding.
The CBSE has said the first Class 10 board examination under the new two-level Mathematics and Science system will be conducted in 2028 for students entering Class 9 in the 2026-27 academic year.
Earlier, on May 15, the board had clarified that students choosing a foreign language could study it only as a third language after taking two Indian languages or as an optional fourth language.