The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) recently clarified the subjects and languages included in its new draft norms for the biannual board exam pattern. The clarification was issued after the Punjab government had complained that Punjabi had been dropped from the list of regional and foreign language subjects in the new draft. The Punjab government had announced that all state education boards are required to compulsorily include Punjabi as one of the core language subjects.

CBSE promptly denied these reports, pointing out that the draft norms were only “indicative” and did not represent any final decision. The board made it clear that all subjects and languages being taught in schools would remain available for the 2025-2026 academic year. The CBSE notice stated, “It is clarified that the list of other subjects and languages in the draft date sheet is only indicative and that all the subjects and languages as offered currently shall continue to be offered for 2025-2026 as well.” This notice reassured schools as well as students that there would be no sudden shift in the subjects being offered, including Punjabi.

In its initial guidelines, the CBSE had put a range of languages in the ‘Regional and Foreign Languages group,’ which included Punjabi (004), Russian (021), Nepali (024), Limboo (025), Lepcha (026), Sindhi (008), Malayalam (012), Odia (013), Assamese (014), Kannada (015), Kokborok (091), Telugu (007), Arabic (016), and Persian (023). All these subjects are all going to remain available in the next academic sessions. The clarification by the board was aimed at allaying the fears regarding Punjabi and assuring the public that no language would be deleted from the list, contrary to what had been rumored.

In addition, the CBSE has recently come out with new draft norms for the 2026 board exams, which added the facility of allowing students to take the exam once or twice. Students who took the latter would get a chance to enhance their marks by taking the exam again. In those instances where students opt for the exam to be taken twice, they may choose to opt out of a subject or paper they do not want to retake. This action was in conformity with the CBSE’s attempt to ease the pressure and stress of board exams but grant students an opportunity to enhance their performance.

The suggested timetable for the class X board exams has also been updated. From the academic year 2026, the board exams will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will be conducted from February 17 to March 6, and the second phase will be conducted from May 5 to May 20. This new pattern drastically reduces the exam period, cutting down the existing exam period of 32 days to a period of only 16 to 18 days. This shift will leave students with just one or two days between each paper, depending on the subjects they choose. The reduced exam period is a departure from the existing system, in which students are sometimes left with gaps of six or even ten days between exams.

The first phase results of the exams are likely to be declared by April 20, and the second phase results will be declared by June 30. Those students who opt to appear for both the exams will get their best score on the final marksheet, which is likely to ease the burden of single-time high-stakes exams.

The new draft norms are consistent with the aims set out by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to minimize the anxiety of board exams. As per the NEP, students would be allowed to appear for board exams twice during an academic year—one for the regular examination and another for improvement if they so wish. This method is supposed to establish a more agile system for the students so that they can give their best without worrying about the high stakes of one test.

Since the draft guidelines have been put in public domain, the CBSE has called for feedback on its suggestions by March 9. The board intends to go through the recommendations it receives and finalize the norms before the new academic session for class X students in April begins. The CBSE’s proposed changes are indicative of a profound shift in board exam approach towards aligning with the overall education reforms outlined in the NEP. This also highlights the role of student welfare, giving students the flexibility to deal with their academic performance in a less stressful and more comfortable way.

In summary, although there was some initial confusion about the status of Punjabi as a language subject under the new CBSE regulations, the board has assured the public that all current subjects, including Punjabi, will remain available. The addition of a biannual exam pattern with the possibility of students being able to enhance their scores is a welcome move towards decreasing exam stress and making the academic environment more flexible. The CBSE’s clarification and suggested amendments are likely to be completed shortly, after the feedback of stakeholders is taken into consideration.