Punjabi stays Class X subject: CBSE clarifies amid furore in Punjab

Following widespread backlash from political leaders across Punjab over allegations that Punjabi had been excluded from the list of regional language subjects for Class X, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued a clarification reaffirming that Punjabi would continue to be offered as a language option in academic sessions.

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Punjabi must in all schools: Mann govt

• The Punjab Government on Wednesday made Punjabi a mandatory in all schools across the state, regardless of their educational board affiliation
• The Education Department stated that education certificates would be considered null and void without Punjabi as a main subject

The controversy arose after CBSE’s draft policy for the Dual Board Exams, set to begin in the 2025-26 academic year, included a list of languages under the “regional and foreign languages group” that initially omitted Punjabi. This led to sharp criticism from various political parties.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab accused the BJP-led Union Government of an “attack on Punjab, Punjabi and Punjabiyat”. Meanwhile, the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for not vocally defending the state’s language and cultural identity.

Amid the uproar, the Punjab Government mandated that all schools, regardless of their board, teach Punjabi as a main and compulsory subject. However, the CBSE quickly addressed the confusion by issuing a follow-up circular. It clarified that the draft list of languages was only indicative and assured that all languages currently offered, including Punjabi, would remain part of the curriculum for the 2025-26 academic year.

The circular stated, “All the subjects and languages as offered presently shall continue to be offered for 2025-26

as well,” listing Punjabi alongside Russian, Nepali, Sindhi, Malayalam, Assamese and several other languages. This clarification helped alleviate concerns over the issue.

The swift clarification from the CBSE comes amidst other regional language initiatives.

The Telangana Government recently announced that it would make Telugu a compulsory subject for Classes I to X across all boards, including CBSE, from the upcoming academic year. This follows warnings from Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin, who voiced concerns over the imposition of Hindi as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.