CBSE has clarified the treatment of the third-language requirement for students entering Class 10 from 2027-28. The third language will not form part of the Board examination, but students will still need to clear the school-based third-language assessment to receive the Secondary School Examination pass certificate.
The Education Ministry has defended the three-language formula in a counter-affidavit before the court, stating that education is on the Concurrent List and that the policy supports multilingualism, preservation of Indian languages, cognitive development, and constitutional values of integration and diversity.
What CBSE has said
CBSE's position creates a distinction between the formal Board examination and the school-level assessment linked to pass certification. A Class 9 student who fails the school-based assessment will still be promoted to Class 10, but the pending assessment must be cleared while the student is in Class 10.
Background and earlier position
Earlier CBSE circulars made the three-language formula applicable from Class 6 in 2026-27. Those circulars also stated that students in Classes 7 to 9 who had chosen an additional foreign language could continue it while also taking a third language native to India.
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