The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued detailed guidelines for implementing the three-language policy in schools affiliated with the board from the 2026-27 academic session. The policy, aligned with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aims to strengthen the teaching of Indian languages while providing schools with a clear framework for implementation.
To ensure a smooth transition, CBSE has introduced provisions protecting students already studying under the existing system. The board clarified that students currently enrolled in Classes 7, 8 and 9 will not be required to appear for a third-language paper in the Class 10 board examination when they move to secondary school.
What is the CBSE three-language policy?
Under the new policy, every student must study three languages during their school education. In line with NEP 2020, at least two of these must be Bharatiya Bhashas (Indian languages).
The recognised Indian languages include Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia, Assamese and other languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
The policy seeks to preserve India’s linguistic diversity by encouraging the study of regional and classical languages while allowing students to gain multilingual proficiency.
Which languages can students choose?
The revised guidelines permit students to opt for a foreign language such as English, French, German, Arabic or Spanish as their third language (R3), provided the other two chosen languages are Bharatiya Bhashas.
In other words, students cannot choose two foreign languages within the three-language framework. At least two of the three languages must be Indian languages.
The board said the revised framework aims to strike a balance between learning global languages and promoting India’s rich linguistic heritage.
Who is exempt from the new Class 10 language requirement?
CBSE has exempted students who are currently studying in Classes 7, 8 and 9 from appearing in a third-language paper in the Class 10 board examination.
According to the board, these students will continue under the existing transitional arrangements instead of being automatically shifted to the revised examination pattern. The exemption has been introduced to ensure that students already following the current curriculum are not adversely affected during the transition to the new policy.
What about students studying two foreign languages?
CBSE has also addressed concerns of students who have opted to study two foreign languages. Such students will be allowed to continue learning the languages they have already chosen. However, they will also be required to study one Bharatiya Bhasha in accordance with the new policy.
The board said the phased implementation is intended to minimise disruption while ensuring compliance with NEP 2020. Schools affiliated with CBSE will begin implementing the revised language policy from the 2026-27 academic session, while safeguarding the interests of students already enrolled under the existing system.