The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued detailed guidelines explaining how the third language policy will be implemented for students in different classes under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The Board said the focus will remain on learning languages in a meaningful way and that no student will be disadvantaged because of the new system.For students studying in Class IX during the 2026-27 academic session, the third language (R3) will be assessed only through an internal school-based assessment. There will be no CBSE Board examination for the third language when these students reach Class X in 2027-28. CBSE and NCERT will also provide grade-appropriate learning resources to help students study the language.The Board has also explained the rules for students who are currently in Classes VII and VIII. When these students move to Classes IX and X, they will continue studying three languages, with two of them being Bhartiya Bhashas.As a relaxation, students in the current Class VII and Class VIII batches who have already chosen and started studying two non-native languages will only have to add one Bhartiya Bhasha and continue studying it until Class X. Like the current Class IX batch, the third language will be assessed through an internal school-based assessment, and there will be no CBSE Board examination for it.For students studying in Class VI during the 2026-27 academic year and those joining later batches, two of the three languages must be Bhartiya Bhashas. Unlike the older batches, these students will appear for the Board examination in the third language (R3) when they reach Class X. CBSE said dedicated Class VI textbooks for all 22 scheduled Bhartiya Bhashas are being made available by NCERT.The Board has also announced exemptions under the three-language policy. Children with Special Needs (CwSN) will continue to receive relaxations and exemptions as provided under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016. CBSE schools located outside India are fully exempt from offering a native Indian language as the third language. Foreign students returning to India are also exempt from studying a native Indian language as the third language.CBSE has also addressed situations where families move to another state. If parents or guardians migrate, students can continue studying the same third language they had chosen during the middle stage even after reaching Class IX. Schools have been asked to provide the necessary resources to support such students.To help schools implement the policy, CBSE has allowed flexible staffing arrangements. Schools can use existing teachers with functional proficiency, retired teachers, postgraduate teachers, Sahodaya school clusters for teacher sharing, and virtual or hybrid teaching methods.The Board said these guidelines have been issued to align school education with NEP 2020 while protecting students’ interests. It stressed that the focus is on joyful and meaningful language learning rather than examinations. CBSE said it will continue supporting schools through learning resources and capacity-building programmes and has asked schools to communicate these provisions positively to students, parents and teachers while highlighting the long-term benefits of multilingual learning and cultural rootedness.
