CBSE issues study guidelines for three-language scheme; mandates passing R3 for Classes 9, 10 students

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued guidelines for implementing the three-language scheme from the academic year 2026-27, making it compulsory for classes 9 and 10 students to study three languages, of which at least two should be Indian languages.

The board has stated that the assessment of the third language (R3) under CBSE will be conducted solely through school-level internal examinations. This year, there will be no CBSE board exam for R3, it said.

Moreover, Class 9 students who do not pass R3 will also be promoted to Class 10, but while in Class 10, they will have to pass it. Whereas, for Class 10 students, passing R3 will be mandatory to obtain the CBSE Secondary Pass Certificate .

Students who fail R3 in Class 10 will be given an opportunity for re-evaluation before the results are declared, the board said.

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NCERT starts making Class 9 R3 language learning materials: CBSE

The board also emphasised that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has started making the class 9 R3 language learning resources.

To access the R3 Language Learning Resources, students can visit the NCERT’s official website at ncert.nic.in. If schools are offering languages other than the 22 scheduled languages, age appropriate SCERT, State level material is available and can be used as per past practice, it said.

“The National Education Policy 2020 recommends learning three languages, with at least two of the three languages being native to India. While CBSE aims to equip learners with competence in multiple Bhartiya Bhashas (native Indian languages) and promote the vibrancy of language learning, it is equally committed to ensuring that the process of learning and growth remains balanced,” as per the official statement by CBSE.

Explaining the objective of the three-language policy, the board said: “The objective is to make language learning a meaningful, engaging, and enriching experience that contributes to the holistic development of every learner. Further, the introduction of the third language (R3) in Secondary Stage (Class IX and Class X) is an extension of language learning from the Middle Stage (Classes VI to VIII).”

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CBSE three-language scheme rules for Classes 6, 7, 8, and 9

The board clarified that there will be no change for students who are in Class 10 during 2026-27, and they will continue with the old system of two languages. No third language is required to be taken by this batch, it added.

Furthermore, for Class 9 students from 2026-27 batch, it would be compulsory for them to study the three-language policy.

Out of these three languages, at least two would be “Bhartiya Bhashas” such as Hindi, Sanskrit , Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia, Assamese, and many more.

The non-native languages constitute English, French, German, Arabic, Spanish, and others, the board said.

“For the current batch of Class VII (2026-27) and Class VIII (2026-27), the students who have already selected and started studying 2 non-native languages need to study 01 Bhartiya Bhasha and continue the same till class X,” the board said.

In addition, for Class 6 students, out of the three languages, two would be Indian languages for this batch and onwards. When this batch and the subsequent Class 6 batches progress to Class 9, they shall take the board examination of R3, it said.