The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced detailed guidelines for implementing the three-language policy across affiliated schools from the 2026–27 academic session. The revised framework follows the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and focuses on encouraging multilingual education while strengthening the use of Indian languages.

Overview of the Three-Language Policy

Under the new framework, students will study three languages during their school education. A mandatory condition is that at least two of the three languages must be Bharatiya Bhashas (Indian languages). The objective is to promote multilingual learning while preserving India's linguistic diversity.

Recognized Indian languages include:

• Hindi
• Sanskrit
• Tamil
• Telugu
• Kannada
• Malayalam
• Marathi
• Bengali
• Punjabi
• Gujarati
• Odia
• Assamese
• Other languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution

Foreign Language Choices

Students may continue to study foreign languages such as English, French, German, Arabic, or Spanish. However, these can only be selected if the remaining two languages are Indian languages.

The updated policy does not allow students to choose two foreign languages as part of the mandatory three-language combination. This approach aims to balance international language learning with the promotion of Indian languages.

Transition Rules for Current Students

To ensure that ongoing academic batches are not affected by the revised framework, CBSE has introduced transitional provisions. Students currently enrolled in Classes 7, 8, and 9 will continue under the existing examination pattern when they reach Class 10.

As a result, these students will not be required to appear for an additional third-language board examination under the new assessment scheme.

Students Already Studying Two Foreign Languages

CBSE has also clarified its position regarding students who have already chosen two foreign languages. These students will be allowed to continue with their existing language selections.

However, they will also need to study at least one Bharatiya Bhasha to comply with the revised language policy introduced under the National Education Policy.

Implementation Timeline

The revised three-language policy will be introduced in all CBSE-affiliated schools from the 2026–27 academic year. Schools are expected to adopt the updated curriculum while ensuring that students currently pursuing their education experience a smooth transition.

Through these guidelines, CBSE aims to encourage multilingual education, promote Indian languages alongside global languages, and provide schools with a structured roadmap for implementing the revised policy.

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