CBSE Revises Class 9 Curriculum for Sixth Time in Seven Months, Drops Three Planned Subjects Including AI
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has revised its Class 9 curriculum for the sixth time in seven months, dropping three planned curricular components and changing the subject requirements for students in the 2026-27 academic session.
In a circular issued on October 29, the board announced that Individuals in Society and the modules on Computational Thinking (CT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) would not be included in the Class 9 curriculum for 2026-27. Environmental Education will also be excluded when the same batch moves to Class 10 in the 2027-28 academic session.
The changes apply to students currently studying in Class 9 and progressing to Class 10 next year. They will not affect students already studying in Class 10 during the 2026-27 session, for whom the existing scheme will continue.
Nine Compulsory Subjects for Class 9
Under the revised scheme, students in Class 9 will have to study nine compulsory subjects:
- First Language (R1)
- Second Language (R2)
- Third Language (R3)
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Science
- Art Education
- Physical Education and Well-being
- Vocational Education (Skill Education)
Students can also select one optional subject from a list of 57 options. These include languages such as Gujarati, Hindi, Sanskrit, English, Bengali, Marathi and Tamil, along with subjects such as Computer Applications, Home Science, Painting, National Cadet Corps (NCC), Elements of Business and Music.
An optional language must be different from the three compulsory languages selected by the student.
Vocational Education Remains Compulsory
CBSE has retained vocational education as a compulsory component, giving students a choice between Kaushal Vikas and 22 skill-based subjects.
The skill subjects include Information Technology, Retail, Automotive, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Agriculture, Banking and Insurance, Healthcare, Tourism, Electronics and Hardware, and Design Thinking and Innovation.
Students opting for Kaushal Vikas will undergo school-based internal assessment in Class 10. Those choosing any of the 22 skill subjects will have to appear for the respective Class 10 board examination. Students who pass these examinations will also receive certification under the National Skills Qualifications Framework.
Five Subjects to Have Class 10 Board Examinations
The revised scheme specifies five compulsory subjects for the Class 10 board examination in 2027-28: R1, R2, Mathematics, Science and Social Science.
Students must secure at least 33% in each of these subjects, with internal assessment and board examination marks considered together wherever applicable.
CBSE has also introduced provisions allowing students to use an additional passed subject to compensate for failure in certain compulsory subjects. A student who fails Mathematics, Science or Social Science may use a passed skill subject for result computation. Similarly, a student who fails R1 or R2 may use a passed optional language, provided it is different from R1, R2 and R3.
The third language will continue to be assessed internally rather than through a Class 10 board examination.
Repeated Changes to Three-Language Policy
The latest curriculum revision comes after several changes to CBSE's three-language framework since April 2026.
On April 2, the board announced a revised scheme for Classes 9 and 10 in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. The plan proposed a phased introduction of the three-language formula, with the rollout eventually extending to Class 10 by 2030-31.
However, on April 9, CBSE clarified that the third-language requirement would not apply at the Class 9 level until 2029-30. It also allowed students to choose an optional third language at the R1 or R2 level until 2028-29.
On May 15, the board issued another directive making three languages compulsory for Class 9 students from July 1, with at least two required to be Indian languages.
The decision was followed by further relaxations on June 29 for students in Classes 7, 8 and 9 who had already selected two non-Indian languages. They were allowed to continue studying those languages while adding an Indian language as their third subject.
CBSE subsequently issued assessment resources on July 2 and implementation guidelines on July 10.
Supreme Court Raised Concerns Over Implementation
The revised language policy also faced legal scrutiny, with parents raising concerns over the availability of textbooks and qualified language teachers.
On July 15, the Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre on petitions challenging the revised policy. The following day, Justice BV Nagarathna questioned the decision to introduce a compulsory third language in Class 9.
In August, the court asked CBSE to consider transitional relief for students and address concerns over teaching resources. On September 28, it directed the board to extend an exemption already available to Classes 7 to 9 to the current Class 6 batch, allowing students to study the third language without a mandatory Class 10 board examination in it.
The October 29 circular retains the earlier language-policy clarifications issued up to July 10.
With the latest revision, CBSE has clarified the subjects, assessment arrangements and examination requirements for the Class 9 batch of 2026-27 as it moves towards Class 10 in 2027-28. However, the board has not specified when the three excluded curricular components will be introduced for subsequent batches.
