The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made it compulsory for students in classes 9 and 10 to study three languages starting July 1, with at least two of the three required to be Indian languages.
The move is part of education reforms tied to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
CBSE has clarified that students will not be barred from appearing in class 10 board examinations on the basis of their performance in the third language. That subject will be assessed internally by schools and will not be part of the board examination system.
Why CBSE introduced the change
The board says the decision is aimed at implementing the three-language formula more strictly under NEP 2020, bringing language learning in line with national education reforms. The change is also intended to encourage students to learn Indian languages alongside English, improve subject comprehension through multilingual learning, and introduce structured language study before the class 10 board exams.
What is now mandatory
From July 1, class 9 students must study three languages, designated R1, R2, and R3. In most schools, English will continue as R1. A foreign language may be chosen only if a student is already studying two Indian languages, and even then it can be taken as the third language or as an optional fourth.
Which languages qualify as R3
The third language is ordinarily drawn from India’s regional languages. Students may choose from Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, Assamese, Manipuri, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Odia, Punjabi, Urdu, or other regional languages available at their school or state level.
Foreign languages such as French, German, Spanish, Japanese, or Russian are permitted as R3 only when a student is already enrolled in two Indian languages.
How schools will handle the transition
CBSE has directed schools to update their language offerings for classes 6 to 9 on the OASIS portal by June 30. Until new textbooks are ready, schools may use existing class 6 R3 textbooks for class 9 students.
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To address potential teacher shortages, the board has suggested sharing teachers between schools, conducting online or hybrid classes, bringing in retired language teachers, and deploying qualified teachers from other subjects who have proficiency in the relevant language. Support material, sample papers, and internal assessment guidelines are expected to be issued shortly.
No board exam for the third language
R3 will carry no board examination at the class 10 level. Assessment will be handled entirely through internal school evaluation, and marks will appear on the final CBSE certificate. Students will not be disqualified from board exams based on R3 performance.
Schools flag concerns
Several school principals have said the change has arrived abruptly, leaving little time to restructure timetables, source trained language teachers, or adjust for the added academic load on students. Some educators have pointed out that the academic session was already underway when the directive came.
[With PTI Inputs]
