The Punjab government has issued a notification in response to the CBSE's decision not to include Punjabi a main language in Class 10 board examinations in the state. According to the notification, students will not be considered as having passed Class 10 by any board in Punjab unless they have studied Punjabi as a main subject. All schools affiliated with any board in the state must teach Punjabi as a primary subject.
The notification also warned that schools failing to comply with these orders will face action under the Punjab Learning of Punjabi and Other Languages Act, 2008.
The notification issued by the Punjab government says, “Students in Punjab will not be considered as having passed Class 10 from any board unless they have studied Punjabi as a main subject. All schools affiliated with any board in the state must teach Punjabi as a primary subject. Schools failing to comply with these orders will face action under the Punjab Learning of Punjabi and Other Languages Act, 2008."
The development comes a day after Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains strongly opposed the CBSE draft norms for holding the Class 10 board exams twice a year, claiming that Punjabi has been left out of the subject list.
The Punjab education minister had warned against any attempt to remove the language, stating that his government would not tolerate such actions.
The Punjab Assembly had earlier passed the Punjabi and Other Languages Education (Amendment) Bill, 2021, making Punjabi a mandatory subject from Class 1 to Class 10 in schools across the state. The language was made compulsory in government offices too.
The Act mandates Punjabi as a compulsory subject from Class 1 to 10, while Hindi is mandatory from Class 3 to 8. Schools failing to comply may face fines imposed by the state government.
The CBSE denied any subject change in the usual board exam subject list. Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj explained that the draft list was only "indicative" and assured that no subject currently offered would be dropped.
"There is no change in the list of subjects offered at present. All subjects will continue in the Class 10 board exam in both phases," Bhardwaj said.
CBSE has invited public feedback on the draft until March 9. Based on the received suggestions, the scheme will be reviewed before being finalised.
Apart from the language controversy, the new CBSE board exam draft policy introduces a bi-annual exam system for Class 10 students starting in 2026. Students will have the option to take the board exam in either February or May, or appear for both phases to improve their scores.
The first phase of exams is scheduled between February 17 and March 6, while the second phase will take place between May 5 and May 20. There will be no separate supplementary exams -- the second phase will act as a reattempt for those wanting to improve their marks.
The move aligns with the National Education Policy’s goal of reducing the "high stakes" nature of board exams by offering students multiple opportunities to perform better.
Source: India Today