Students in Classes 7, 8 and 9 at CBSE schools can stick with the foreign language they already study, right up to the Class 10 board exam. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said so on Thursday, calming a rule change that had pushed thousands of families into a last-minute scramble. The board’s three-language plan will now begin with Class 6 and climb one year at a time.
The worry started with a CBSE circular dated May 15. It told schools that Class 9 students must take up three languages from July 1 in the 2026-27 session, and that two of the three had to be Indian languages such as Hindi or Sanskrit. English is treated as a foreign language here. So a child who studied English along with French or German suddenly had to drop one and pick an Indian language instead.
Many had stayed with that foreign language for three or four years.
Here is who stands where now:
| Who | What applies |
|---|---|
| Students entering Class 6 (2026-27) | Three-language formula starts: three languages, two of them Indian |
| Classes 7, 8 and 9 already on a foreign language | May continue the same language till the Class 10 exam |
Foreign languages are no small corner of the system. Around six lakh students across Indian schools learn French, and about 1.5 lakh learn German. The French and German embassies in Delhi had pushed back, worried the rule would thin those numbers, since a second foreign language would now count only as an extra fourth subject.
What is the three-language formula, exactly? It comes from the National Education Policy, and the basic idea is that every student picks up three languages, with at least two native to India. CBSE, the Central Board of Secondary Education, runs one of the country’s biggest school networks and frames the rules its affiliated schools follow.
There was a practical snag too. Third-language textbooks for older students weren’t ready. CBSE had asked Class 9 students to make do with Class 6 books plus extra material, and told short-staffed schools to use teachers from other subjects who knew the language.
Relief isn’t spread evenly. Parents of younger children, whose wards begin the new rule from Class 6, say the switch still bites, and some are planning to move court. A petition against the rollout already sits before the Supreme Court, which has declined interim relief and asked CBSE for a detailed report. The next hearing falls on July 15.
School heads say they’re holding off on confirming anything until CBSE puts out a fresh written circular, especially for students moving in from other boards. CBSE is expected to withdraw the May 15 order and spread the rollout over five years, up to 2030-31. Wait for that written circular before changing any subject.