Students in grades 7, 8 and 9 can continue learning foreign languages this year: Ministry of Education resources
Image used for representational purposes only. | Photo credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
Students studying in classes 7, 8 and 9 in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliated schools can continue learning foreign languages under the tri-language policy till they complete class 10, sources in the education ministry said on Friday (June 26, 2026).
The clarification comes more than a month after the CBSE said students in Class 9 must study three languages, two of which should be from India, on July 1 in the 2026-27 academic year.
This has resulted in CBSE schools instructing their students who opt for foreign languages like French, German, Spanish and so on to switch to their mother tongue, in case they are already studying English.
There are at least six thousand students studying French and 1.5 thousand students studying German in all schools across India at various levels, including CBSE schools.
The embassies resist the gradual cancellation
An official spokesperson of the German embassy confirmed that the diplomatic mission is in touch with the Indian government on the matter.
Sources also said that the German and French embassies have hit out against the centre’s tri-language formula, which will gradually lead to the phasing out of foreign language teaching in CBSE schools by 2030-31, if not earlier.
Sources clarified that the tri-language formula will be applicable for students entering Class 6 who will have to study three languages, two of which will be of Indian origin.
The CBSE circular led to protests by parents, students and teachers who approached the Supreme Court against the sudden change, arguing that it would be very difficult for Class 9 students who had already studied a foreign language for the past three to four years to suddenly change their language.
Soon revised circular
The CBSE is expected to change its May 15 circular that mandated the trilingual formula under the National Education Policy to be applied to Class 9 students, sources added.
The clarification comes more than a week after the Supreme Court refused to grant interim relief on petitions challenging the implementation of CBSE’s tri-language policy for Class 9 students in 2026-27.
The CBSE is expected to withdraw the latest circular in light of the controversy and direct schools to implement the three-language policy gradually over five consecutive academic years up to 2030-31, rather than rolling it out for all classes from 2026-27.
Published – 26 Jun 2026 22:44 IST