The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Thursday announced big changes to its secondary school curriculum, in line with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for School Education 2023 and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
What is the new three-language system?
Under the new plan, languages will be taught through a three-language system called R1, R2, and R3. As per the rules, at least two of these three languages must be Indian languages, according to an official notification.
Continuing its step-by-step rollout of multilingual education, CBSE said that the third language (R3) will become compulsory from Class 6 starting in the 2026–27 academic session. This means every student will study at least two Indian languages.
“In continuation of the board’s phased implementation of multilingual education, a third language will be made mandatory from Class 6 with effect from the academic session 2026-27, ensuring that every learner studies at least two Indian languages,” Times of India reported quoting a senior board official.
The board explained that this gradual rollout will help students adjust smoothly and stay in line with upcoming changes in exams. Students in Classes 9 and 10 will study three languages and the languages chosen for R1 and R2 must be different. The board also clarified that the same language cannot be studied at more than one level at the same time.
For now, the same textbooks will be used for both R1 and R2 until the National Council of Educational Research and Training creates separate books for each level. However, the syllabus and exams for these levels will still be different.
Is passing the third language compulsory?
CBSE also said that until this system is fully in place, students who are currently in Class 7 and above must have studied three languages up to Class 8. It added, “No student shall be eligible to appear in the Secondary School Examination of the Board at the end of Class 10, unless she/he has passed in the third language.” This rule will continue until R3 is introduced in Class 9, which is planned for the 2029–30 session.
The curriculum further mentioned that CBSE will keep using regional language textbooks from state boards for Classes 9 and 10 until NCERT releases its own books for those languages.