3-language policy: CBSE grants one-time exemption to current Classes 7-9 students

THe telephone exchange room of Secondary breeding (CBSE) on mon proclaimed a one-time relaxation for students currently in classes 9, 8, and 7 from the three-language policy which was hastily announced through a circular dated May 15.The circular caused consternation among students of the three classes who had opted for two non-native languages because it mandated that they study three languages, of which at least two have to be “native Indian languages”.The circular was unexpected and came barely six weeks after CBSE unveiled a revised scheme of studies on April 2 envisaging phased implementation of the three-language formula starting from Class 6 in 2026-27, with full roll-out to Class 10 by 2030-31. To be sure, this is in keeping with the three-language policy as laid out in National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.It wasn’t immediately clear why CBSE rushed through the implementation after initially choosing not to.HT reached out to CBSE officials for a comment but didn’t received a response at the time of going to print.Also read: What changes in CBSE's language policy for Classes 6 to 10? | Explained“We have introduced a three-language formula in line with NEP 2020 and National Curriculum Framework-School Education (NCF-SE) 2023 which asks students to study three languages with two at least being native to India. As we are in the transition period for implementation of three-language policy, we have given some relaxations to Class 7 to 9 students, while gradually implementing the policy in full-fledged manner from Class 6 onwards from this academic year 2026-27,” said a senior education ministry official, requesting anonymity.The rethink came after students and schools expressed concern over the change. CBSE’s relaxation, announced in a press release on Monday, promised “relaxations during the transitional period”. Students of classes 9, 8, and 7, who have already opted for two non-native languages will be allowed to continue with the same , but will have to add one Indian language as the third language. The board reiterated that there would be no CBSE Board examination for this third language when students from these three classes reach Class 10, emphasizing that the move is intended to ensure “no student shall be disadvantaged due to this alignment.”Also read: ‘Direct threat to regional peace’: India slams Pakistan for attacks on AfghanistanSamaira Puri, a Class 9 student at The Indian School, Delhi, is studying English and French—both not native Indian languages—as her language subjects. “I chose French as I want to study abroad and pursue a career in the travel and tourism sector. With CBSE giving exemptions to current Class 9 batch students, I will continue to study both subjects and choose Hindi as my R3-level third language as I have studied it till Class 8. Though we do not have to sit for board exams for R3, we still have to pass the subject in our internal exams. This will add an additional burden on our mental health as we also have to study other main subjects like science, social science, mathematics and others.”Schools have welcomed the “partial relaxations” but said that they will still face challenges in implementing the policy.“The relaxation is certainly appreciated. However it appears to be more or less in line with the previous notification. We were hoping for an exemption from the R3 requirement for Grade 9, at least for the current academic session, as the session has already commenced,” said Jyoti Arora, principal of Delhi-based Mount Abu Public School.HT on June 5 reported that CBSE’s May 15 circular defied a decision of its own governing body ratified in December 2025 that implementation should wait until NCERT released dedicated textbooks.For the current Class 10 batch (2026-27), CBSE reiterated that “there will be no change” and students will continue under the existing two-language system.For students entering Class 6 in 2026-27 and subsequent batches, the policy will apply in full. They will study three languages, with two being Indian languages.“When this batch and the subsequent Class 6 batches progress to Class 10, they shall take the board examination” in the third language, the board stated in its press release, adding that textbooks for this third language ” are being made available on NCERT website“.On April 2, the board had announced that there would be no board exam for R3 and that it would be evaluated through school-based internal assessments.Schools have been permitted to use flexible staffing arrangements—including teachers with functional proficiency, retired teachers, Sahodaya school clusters and virtual or hybrid teaching—to implement the policy.The guidelines also carve out specific exemptions from the three-language policy. Children with Special Needs (CWSN) will receive relaxations and exemptions from the compulsory third language in accordance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016. All CBSE schools outside India have been granted a full exemption from the requirement of teaching an Indian language as the third language. Foreign students returning to India are likewise exempt from studying an Indian language as the third language.CBSE’s three-language policy was challenged in the Supreme Court on May 27, when a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant agreed to examine a batch of petitions challenging the policy. The matter will be heard in the second week of July.