CBSE makes three languages compulsory in Class IX two must be Indian

NEW DELHI, May 18 — The Central Board of Secondary Education has issued a circular making three-language study compulsory for every Class IX student starting July 1, 2026, with at least two of the three to be native Indian languages. The board has also said there will be no board examination for the third language in Class X.

For every CBSE school in the country, this is a timetable problem long before it becomes a curriculum one. The new rule lands six weeks before the 2026-27 session begins, in a period most schools have already drafted Class IX subject offerings and section rolls. Schools without an existing third-language teacher, or with classrooms not currently scheduling a third-language period, will be the first to rework their week.

The circular, dated May 15 and signed by CBSE's Director (Academics), Joseph Emmanuel, says the rule aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. Of the three languages a Class IX student must now study, two must be native Indian languages — drawn from the eighth schedule of the Constitution, classical Indian languages or sign language. The third can be any modern Indian or foreign language. "At least two of the three languages must be native to India," the board said in the circular. The school decides the combination, but the choice must be available across sections — no Section A Sanskrit-only and Section B French-only quietly. There is no board examination for the third language in Class X; the school evaluates it internally and reports the grade alongside the other subjects on the Class X marksheet.

The Class IX rule is the second step in a year-long rollout. The board first extended the same three-language formula to Class 6 students earlier in the year, with a separate deadline for schools to add the third-language teacher record on the OASIS portal that was later pushed to May 31. Class XI is expected to follow in the next academic-year notification.

For school office work, the immediate deadlines are timetable rework before July 1 and a third-language teacher entry on OASIS by May 31. CBSE has indicated it will publish a model Class IX three-language matrix — combinations of English, Hindi and a third Indian language most schools can fit into an existing six-period week — in the coming weeks.

Source: Tribune India, DD News. Original notice: CBSE Academic circulars.

Related on Inkwelly

For schools redrawing the Class IX timetable:

• Academics module — manage subjects, sections, teaching batches and the full Class 9–12 curriculum
• Timetable software — schedule the new third-language period without breaking section assignments or teacher loads

For the subject office:

• Subject Groups — stream & elective setup — define the new three-language combinations students can pick across sections
• How to admit students mid-session — Class IX July intake without disturbing the existing class rolls

Earlier in this thread:

• CBSE extends Class 6 R3 third-language deadline to May 31
• CBSE makes AI compulsory in Class 9 and 10 from June 2026