Overview
- CBSE issued detailed guidelines on June 29 that introduce the NEP 2020 three‑language scheme from 2026–27 while adding transitional relaxations for students already mid‑stream.
- The current Class X batch will not be required to adopt a third language and students in Classes VII–IX will have the third language assessed only through internal school evaluations with no Class X board exam for those transitional cohorts.
- Students entering Class VI in 2026–27 will follow the policy in full and will face a board examination in the third language when that cohort reaches Class X around 2030.
- To ease implementation, CBSE and NCERT will supply grade‑appropriate R3 materials, NCERT is preparing Class 6 textbooks in 22 scheduled Indian languages, and schools may use flexible staffing options such as teachers with functional proficiency, retired teachers, Sahodaya sharing, or virtual instruction.
- The guidelines include exemptions for Children with Special Needs, CBSE schools outside India, returning foreign students, and migrating children, and the rollout remains under legal challenge with the Supreme Court set to hear petitions in the second week of July.