The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has provided clarity for students currently enrolled in Classes VII, VIII, and IX who have chosen two foreign languages under the three-language policy. According to sources in the Ministry of Education, these students will be allowed to continue with the same subject combination until they complete Class X.
The clarification comes weeks after a CBSE circular issued in May required that, starting July 1, students entering Class IX must study three languages, with at least two being Indian languages, in line with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF). That circular sparked protests from students and parents, with several petitioners approaching the Supreme Court to challenge the move.
Ministry sources explained that the requirement of studying at least two Indian languages will be implemented prospectively from Class VI. This means it will not apply retrospectively to students already studying in Classes VII, VIII, and IX. “The requirement of studying at least two Indian languages as part of the three-language policy will be implemented prospectively from Class VI and will not apply retrospectively to students already studying in Classes VII, VIII and IX,” the sources stated.
Senior officials in the Ministry of Education rejected suggestions that the latest clarification amounts to a rollback of the policy. “It is not backtracking. This provision was already there; it just wasn't explicit enough. There wasn't sufficient clarity, and this is simply meant to provide that clarity,” a senior source said.
Explaining the rationale behind the decision, the source noted that nearly 24 lakh students appear for the CBSE Class X examinations every year, of whom only around 30,000 opt for foreign languages. “About 98.5 per cent of CBSE students already follow the three-language formula. The issue concerns a very small group of students, largely in urban and metropolitan areas, some of whom had opted for two foreign languages. We are making an exception for these particular cases,” the source added.
Formal orders incorporating this clarification are expected to be issued shortly. The development comes over a week after the Supreme Court refused to grant interim relief on petitions challenging the implementation of the CBSE's three-language policy for Class IX students from the 2026-27 academic session. A Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana declined to stay the policy and directed that the plea be tagged with similar petitions already pending before the court.
The controversy originated from the CBSE's May circular implementing the language provisions of the National Curriculum Framework, under which students entering Class IX from the 2026-27 academic session were required to study three languages, including at least two Indian languages. The move had raised concerns among students who had already opted for two foreign languages under the earlier framework.
