The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued detailed guidelines clarifying that while the third language (R3) will not carry a board examination for the current batches, clearing the school-based internal assessment in the subject will be mandatory for students to receive the CBSE Secondary School Examination pass certificate.
The circular states that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommends learning three languages, with at least two native to India, and that while CBSE aims to equip learners with competence in multiple Bhartiya Bhashas (native Indian languages) and promote the vibrancy of language learning, it remains committed to ensuring the process stays balanced, describing the objective as making language learning "a meaningful, engaging, and enriching experience."
