CBSE issues addendum to Class X board exam policy, will continue to offer all languages for 2025-26 session

New Delhi [India], February 26 (ANI): The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday issued an addendum to the draft policy for the conduct of two board exams in Class X, clarifying that all the languages will continue to be offered for the 2025-26 academic session.
The national board said that the list of languages in the draft date sheet was only indicative (suggestive), implying that it was not final.
"This is with regard to the draft Policy for the conduct of two Board Examinations of Class X released by the CBSE on its website on February 25, 2025. It is clarified that the list of other subjects and languages contained in the draft date sheet is only indicative and that all the subjects and languages as offered presently shall continue to be offered for 2025-2026 as well," the addendum read.
The CBSE said that the board would continue to offer all languages, including Punjabi, Russian, Nepali, Limboo, Lepcha, Sindhi, Malayalam, Odia, Assamese, Kannada, Kokborok, Telugu, Arabic, and Persian, in addition to the languages mentioned under "Regional and Foreign languages group".
"In addition to the languages mentioned under the list of languages in point 8 of the draft policy under the heading "Regional and Foreign languages group", Punjabi, Russian, Nepali, Limboo, Lepcha, Sindhi, Malayalam, Odia, Assamese, Kannada, Kokborok, Telugu, Arabic and Persian shall continue to be offered," the addendum read.
This development came after several leaders across the political spectrum in Punjab raised the issue of the alleged deletion of Punjabi from the CBSE's draft scheme for a twice-a-year board exam format.
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains strongly criticised CBSE for dropping the 'Punjabi' language, alleging that the national board was planning to remove it as the second language from the board exams for Classes 10 and 12.
Earlier, CBSE on Tuesday proposed a major reform in the Class X examination system, introducing two board exams from the 2025-26 academic session.
This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to reduce academic pressure by offering students a chance to improve their scores.
The proposal was discussed in a high-level meeting at the Ministry of Education, chaired by the Union Minister of Education. A draft policy released on Tuesday has been developed and uploaded on the CBSE website, inviting feedback from schools, teachers, parents, and students until March 9, 2025.
The NEP 2020 recommends conducting Class X and XII board exams twice a year to reduce student stress and provide more opportunities for improvement. It emphasises a shift from rote learning to a competency-based assessment, allowing students to retain their best score while making exams more flexible and student-friendly. (ANI)