The Central Board of Secondary Education has made the study of three languages compulsory for students of Class IX from July 1, 2026. However, the Board clarified that there will be no Class X Board examination for the third language (R3).
In a circular issued on May 15, CBSE stated that at least two of the three languages must be native Indian languages, in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
According to the new guidelines, students in Class IX will have to study three languages — R1, R2, and R3 — with two of them being Indian languages. The Board said the decision aims to promote multilingual learning while reducing academic pressure on students.
CBSE clarified that assessments for the third language will be completely school-based and internal. Students’ performance in R3 will be mentioned in the CBSE certificate, but no separate Board examination will be conducted for it in Class X.
The Board also assured that no student will be prevented from appearing in the Class X Board exams because of the third language requirement.Schools will be allowed to choose any language from the CBSE-approved subject list, provided the condition of two Indian languages is fulfilled.
Foreign languages may only be offered as the third language if the other two are Indian languages, or as an optional fourth language.As a temporary arrangement, Class IX students will use Class VI textbooks for the third language until separate secondary-level textbooks are introduced.
Schools have also been advised to include local and regional literary content in teaching.To address possible shortages of qualified language teachers, CBSE suggested measures such as inter-school teacher sharing, online teaching support, and hiring retired teachers or qualified postgraduate instructors.
The Board has also announced special relaxations for Children with Special Needs (CwSN), foreign students returning to India, and schools located outside the country, which will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
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