The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released detailed guidelines explaining how the third language policy will be implemented for students in various classes under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The Council said that the focus will remain on learning languages ​​in a meaningful way and that no student will be disadvantaged due to 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 exam 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 also explained the rules for students who are currently in Classes VII and VIII. When these students move on to Classes IX and X, they continue to study three languages, with two of them being Bhartiya Bhashas.As a relaxation, students in the current Class VII and Class VIII who have already chosen and started studying two non-native languages ​​will only have to add a Bhartiya Bhasha and continue studying up to Class X. Like the current Class IX batch, the third language will be assessed through a school-based internal assessment, and there will be no CBSE Board exam for it.For students studying in Class VI during the academic year 2026-27 and those joining subsequent batches, two of the three languages ​​must be Bhartiya Bhashas. Unlike the older places, these students appear for the Board exam in the third language (R3) when they reach Class X. CBSE said dedicated Class VI textbooks for all 22 scheduled Bhartiya Bhashas are available from NCERT.The Council also announced exemptions under the three-language policy. Children with Special Needs (CwSN) continue to receive relaxations and exemptions as provided by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016. CBSE schools located outside India are completely exempt from offering a native Indian language as a third language. Foreign students returning to India are also exempt from studying a native Indian language as a third language.CBSE has also addressed situations where families move to another state. If parents or guardians migrate, students can continue to study 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 expertise, retired teachers, postgraduate teachers, Sahodaya school clusters for teacher sharing, and virtual or hybrid teaching methods.The Council said these guidelines were issued to align school education with NEP 2020 while protecting the interests of students. He stressed that the emphasis is on joyful and meaningful language learning rather than exams. CBSE said it will continue to support schools through learning resources and capacity building programs and asked schools to communicate these provisions positively to students, parents and teachers while highlighting the long-term benefits of multilingual learning and cultural inculcation.
