CBSE eases three language policy: Class 7-9 students can continue with two foreign languages ​​- report

Center has clarified that CBSE students currently studying in classes VII, VIII and IX who have opted for two foreign languages ​​under the three language policy will be allowed to continue with the same subject combination till class X, Education Ministry sources told ANI.The clarification comes weeks after a CBSE circular issued in May said that from July 1, students entering Class IX from the 2026-27 academic session must study three languages, with at least two Indian languages, as per the National Curriculum Framework (NCF). The circular had sparked protests from some students and parents, with subsequent petitions filed in the Supreme Court.According to sources in the Ministry, the requirement to study at least two Indian languages ​​will apply only to students entering Class VI in future. It will not apply retrospectively to students who are already studying classes VII, VIII and IX.“The requirement to study at least two Indian languages ​​as part of the three-language policy will be implemented prospectively from class VI onwards and will not be applied retrospectively to students already studying in classes VII, VIII and IX,” they said.However, the clarification should not be seen as a reversal of the policy. “It’s not about going back. That provision was already there; it just wasn’t explicit enough. There wasn’t enough clarity, and this is simply to provide that clarity,” said a senior Ministry of Education official.“Around 98.5 per cent of CBSE students already follow the three language formula. The issue concerns a very small group of students, mostly from urban and metropolitan areas, some of whom had opted for two foreign languages. We are making an exception for these particular cases,” they added. Formal orders reflecting the clarification are expected to be issued soon.The clarification comes more than a week after the Supreme Court refused to grant interim relief to petitions challenging the implementation of CBSE’s three-language policy for Class IX students in the 2026-27 academic session. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana refused to stay the policy and ordered that the petition be tagged with similar petitions already pending before the court.The controversy began after the CBSE circular in May implemented the language provisions of the National Curriculum Framework, which required students entering Class IX from the 2026-27 academic session 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 ​​in the previous framework.