New Delhi, July 14 (HS): The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made the third language a mandatory qualifying subject for students of Classes 9 and 10 under the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Under the revised norms, which will come into effect from the 2027-28 academic session, students appearing for the Class 10 Board examination will not have to take a Board exam in the third language. However, they must pass a school-based internal assessment in the subject to become eligible for the Secondary School Examination Pass Certificate.

In a circular issued on July 10, the CBSE clarified that although the third language (R3) will not form part of the Class 10 Board examination, students must successfully clear the school-based internal assessment.

The Board has also directed schools to conduct reassessments for students who fail to qualify in the internal assessment before the declaration of the Class 10 Board examination results, giving them another opportunity to meet the qualifying requirement.

Earlier, the CBSE had made the study of three languages compulsory for Class 9 students from July 1, 2026, while clarifying that there would be no Board examination for the third language in Class 10.

According to a circular issued on May 15, at least two of the three languages studied by students must be native Indian languages, in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar