Overview
- The CBSE published a clarification on Thursday, October 29, 2026, that sets the Class 10 scheme for the cohort now in Class 9 who will sit board exams in 2028.
- Under the scheme students will face five compulsory board‑exam subjects — two languages, mathematics, science and social science — while studying nine curricular areas in total.
- Vocational education is mandatory and students must opt either for school‑assessed Kaushal Vikas, which awards a school certificate for 33% or more, or one of 22 board‑exam skill subjects that will appear on the CBSE marksheet and earn an NSQF certificate on passing.
- The board set a 33% pass mark in each core subject and allowed a passed skill subject to replace a failed mathematics, science or social science paper under specified CBSE conditions, creating a formal safety net for some failures.
- To align rollout timing, CBSE said the Individuals in Society subject, Computational Thinking and AI modules in Class 9 and Environmental Education in Class 10 are excluded for this batch, a cohort‑specific move that forces earlier subject decisions and greater school involvement in vocational assessments.