The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made the study of three languages compulsory for Class IX students from July 1, 2026. However, the Board clarified that there will be no Class X Board examination for the third language.
In a circular issued on May 15, CBSE said that at least two of the three languages must be native Indian languages, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.According to the new guidelines, students will study three languages — R1, R2 and R3 — from Class IX onwards.
While the third language will remain compulsory, its assessment will be conducted internally by schools instead of through the Class X Board exam.CBSE stated that the marks and performance in the third language will still appear on students’ certificates, but no student will be stopped from appearing for the Board exams because of R3.Schools will be allowed to offer any language from the CBSE subject list, provided that at least two of the selected languages are Indian languages.
Foreign languages can only be chosen as the third language or as an optional fourth language.As part of the transition, Class IX students will temporarily use Class VI textbooks for the third language until new secondary-level textbooks are introduced. Schools have also been advised to include local and regional literary content.
To address shortages of language teachers, CBSE suggested interim measures such as sharing teachers between schools, virtual classes, and hiring retired teachers or qualified postgraduates.
The Board also announced special relaxations for Children with Special Needs (CwSN), schools outside India, and foreign students returning to the country, with provisions to be considered on a case-by-case basis.