The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made it compulsory for students of classes IX and X to study Study three languages starting July 1. At least two of them must be Indian.
This decision is part of the educational reforms linked to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
Students will not be banned from appearing in Class 10 CBSE explained that board exams even if one does not perform well in the third language. The subject will be evaluated by schools and not through the board examination system.
Why did CBSE take this step
CBSE says this is aimed at implementing the three-language formula more strictly under the New Economic Policy 2020. The aim is to bring language learning in line with national education reforms and ensure students study multiple languages during school.
The change is also aimed at encouraging students to learn Indian languages besides English, the board said. It is also said that understanding of subjects will be improved through multilingual learning and the introduction of early language study before the Class 10 board exams.
Which is mandatory now
From July 1, students of class IX under CBSE have to study three languages, called R1, R2 and R3. At least two of these languages must be Indian languages.
In most schools, English will continue as R1 level. A foreign language can only be taken if two Indian languages have already been chosen, in which case it can be studied as a third language or as an additional fourth language.
What can be considered a third language (R3)
The third language is usually chosen from the Indian languages. Students can study any indigenous Indian language like Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, Assamese, Manipuri, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Odia, Punjabi, Urdu, or other regional languages available in their school or state.
CBSE has made it clear that at least two of the three languages must be Indian languages, so R3 will mostly be selected from this group.
In some cases, students can also study a foreign language as a third language, but only under certain conditions. A foreign language such as French, German, Spanish, Japanese or Russian can only be considered as R3 if the student is already studying two Indian languages.
How will schools manage it?
CBSE has asked schools to update their language options for classes 6 to 9 on the OASIS portal by June 30. Until new textbooks are available, schools can use Grade 6 R3 textbooks for Year 9 students.
To deal with the potential shortage of teachers, the board proposed solutions such as sharing teachers between schools, using online or hybrid classes, involving retired language teachers, and using qualified teachers from other subjects who know the language.
The Board also said that support materials, sample papers and internal evaluation guidelines will be released soon.
There is no board exam for the third language
CBSE has clarified that the third language (R3) will not be subject to board examination at the Class 10 level. The entire assessment will be conducted by the schools through internal assessment.
The marks obtained in R3 will be reflected in the final CBSE certificate. The board also clarified that students will not be disqualified from appearing in the Class 10 board examinations based on their performance in the third language.
Fears of schools
Many school principals said the change came suddenly and will create challenges in planning the academic session. They cited difficulties such as a shortage of trained language teachers, schedule changes, and increased academic load on students.
Some teachers also said that schools were not given enough time to prepare for the change, as the academic session is already underway.
(With inputs from PTI and HT’s Gargi Shukla)
