Telangana exempts Class 10 students from compulsory Telugu in 2026-27

The Telangana government has extended the exemption for non-Telugu speaking students from studying Telugu as a compulsory subject. A recent memo states that Class 10 students will not be required to study Telugu during the 2026-27 academic year. This exemption does not apply to students currently in Class 9 in 2025-26.

According to Telangana Today reports, students in Class 8 during the current academic year will have to study Telugu when they move to Class 9 next year.

In the revised memo, education department secretary Yogita Rana stated, “The government hereby extends the time period for implementation of Telugu as the compulsory subject for students studying Classes 9 during the academic year 2025-26 and students of Class 10 during the academic year 2026-27 of all managements in the State.”

Schools asked to report compliance

Officials told Telangana Today that the decision follows petitions from non-Telugu-speaking students in the High Court seeking an exemption. The state had previously exempted such students from studying Telugu in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years.

The school education department has instructed regional joint directors of school education and district educational officers to communicate the decision to all schools and submit a compliance report.

Telangana act covers all schools

Earlier, the PTI reported that the Telangana government issued orders to teach Telugu as a compulsory subject for students of Classes 1 to 10 in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), International Baccalaureate (IB), and other board-affiliated schools from the 2025-26 academic year.

The policy is based on the Telangana (Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Telugu in Schools) Act, 2018, which covers government, aided, and private schools.

The previous BRS government had not fully implemented the law, while the current administration held consultations with school managements to ensure its application in Classes 9 and 10.