CBSE Adopts Three-Language Rule for Classes 9-10; R3 Assessed Internally
CBSE Adopts Three-Language Rule for Classes 9-10; R3 Assessed Internally
CBSE mandates three languages for Classes 9-10, with the third language assessed internally at schools; two Indian languages required.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced a three-language rule for Class 9 and 10, to be implemented from July 1, 2026. The policy requires at least two of the three languages to be native Indian languages, in line with NEP 2020 and the NCF-SE 2023.
For the third language, referred to as R3, all assessments will be school-based and internal. The performance in R3 will be reflected in the CBSE certificate, and no student will be barred from appearing in Class 10 board exams because of R3.
On English, foreign languages can only be studied as the third language if the other two are Indian languages, or as an optional fourth language. Two languages must be native Indian languages; English is not counted as a foreign language but is also not native to India. Schools can offer foreign languages as a fourth language through reading clubs.
CBSE lists 44 language subjects; if a school offers Urdu at R1 and Hindi, Tamil or another native language at R2, students can opt for foreign languages like French or German as the third language, since two languages are already native to India. If English is taken at R1 or R2, a foreign language cannot be chosen as R3. Transition arrangements include Class 9 students temporarily using Class 6 R3 textbooks until secondary-stage textbooks are available. The board has asked schools to update their R3 language offerings for Classes 6 to 9 on the OASIS portal by June 30.
The policy, aligned with NEP 2020 and NCF-SE 2023, aims for a smooth rollout with interim solutions for textbooks and teachers, as implementation approaches July 2026.
