CBSE: All languages will be offered for Class X Boards in 2025-26

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has confirmed that all languages currently offered in Class 10 Board exams will continue for the 2025-26 academic session. This clarification follows concerns raised by several leaders in Punjab regarding the alleged exclusion of Punjabi from the CBSE’s draft Board exam policy.

In an addendum to its draft policy, CBSE stated that the list of languages in the draft date sheet was only “indicative” and not final. “All subjects and languages as offered presently shall continue to be available in 2025-26 as well,” the Board said.

The Board reaffirmed that Punjabi, along with Russian, Nepali, Limboo, Lepcha, Sindhi, Malayalam, Odia, Assamese, Kannada, Kokborok, Telugu, Arabic, and Persian, will be available in addition to the regional and foreign languages already listed in the draft policy.

The CBSE has also proposed a significant reform in Class 10 exams, introducing two Board exams per year starting from 2025-26. The move, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aims to ease academic pressure and allow students to improve their scores.

The draft policy was discussed in a high-level meeting at the Ministry of Education and has been uploaded on the CBSE website for public feedback until March 9, 2025. The NEP 2020 recommends a shift to competency-based assessments and flexible exams, allowing students to retain their best scores while reducing stress.