3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 14, 2026 03:05 PM IST
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has clarified that while the third language (R3) will not be part of the Class 10 Board examination for students entering the class in 2027-28, clearing the school-based assessment in the subject will be compulsory for receiving the pass certificate.
In a circular dated July 10, the Board said students “must clear the school-based R3 assessment” in Class 10. Those who fail the internal assessment will have to undergo a reassessment by their schools before the Board announces the final results.
CBSE reiterated that students who fail the school-based R3 assessment in Class 9 will not be detained. They will be promoted to Class 10 in the 2027-28 academic year but must clear the pending Class 9 R3 assessment while studying in Class 10.
The clarification comes days after CBSE’s June 29 circular operationalising the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP). Under the revised scheme, students from Class 6 onwards are required to study three languages, of which two must be native to India. Students currently in Classes 7, 8 and 9 who had already opted for an additional foreign language alongside English will be allowed to continue with it, but will also have to study a third language native to India.
Until now, students discontinued the third language after Class 8. The June 29 and July 10 circulars make it compulsory in Class 9 from the 2026-27 academic year and in Class 10 from 2027-28. The revised norms will not apply to the current Class 10 batch in 2026-27.
Meanwhile, defending the policy before the Supreme Court on Monday, CBSE said that 47.3% of its 28,848 affiliated schools already offer two or more Indian languages to Class 9 students and are therefore fully compliant with the three-language requirement “without any additional teacher”. It added that 99.19% of affiliated schools have at least one Indian-language teacher.
The figures were disclosed in a counter-affidavit filed by CBSE, along with separate affidavits submitted by the Union Education Ministry and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), in response to petitions filed by parents and foreign-language teachers challenging the policy.
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“Recognising that schools may require time to build full teaching capacity in different Bhartiya Bhashas, the Board has permitted flexible staffing arrangements as an interim measure,” the Board said.
The petitions, filed by parents from Delhi, Gurugram, Noida and Chennai along with foreign-language teachers, challenge CBSE’s May 15 circular making the three-language policy mandatory in Class 9 from July 1, 2026. The matter is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.