AAP Minister Says Punjabi Dropped From List Of Subjects For Class 10, CBSE Responds

The Punjab government on Wednesday announced that it has made Punjabi a mandatory subject in all schools across the state, alleging it was removed from the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) list of regional language subjects for Class 10. The CBSE, however, refuted the claims and said the subject would continue to be offered.

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains accused the BJP-led Centre and the CBSE of dropping Punjabi from the list of subjects for Class 10 in the new draft norms for the biannual board exam format, called it a "well-planned conspiracy" against Punjab and Punjabi.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said his department has issued a fresh notification stating that Punjabi will be a main subject in Class 10 in the state. If Punjabi is not a main subject in any school, then the certificate will be considered "null and void", he said, adding that this will apply to all education boards in the state.

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Mr Bains said in the CBSE's draft norms, Science, Maths, Social Science, Hindi and English are the main subjects of Class 10. The minister said that regional and foreign languages are in one group while the rest of the subjects are in the other group.

He also said that Punjabi was removed from the regional languages.

"It means Punjabi is not the main subject. The main regional language has been finished," he said while addressing a press conference.

[Live] Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, Chd
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— Government of Punjab (@PbGovtIndia) February 26, 2025

Mr Bains said that Punjabi is a well-spoken language in many states, including Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

"Punjabi is not just a language; it is a symbol of our rich cultural heritage, spoken and cherished by millions across the country," he said, adding that the current situation was an attempt to erase Punjabi from the educational landscape.

CBSE's Clarification On Punjabi Subject Row

After the AAP minister's remarks, the CBSE issued a clarification refuting his claims that Punjabi was removed from its list of regional language subjects for Class 10.

It is clarified that the list of other subjects and languages contained in the draft date sheet is only indicative and that all the subjects and languages as offered presently shall continue to be offered for 2025-2026 as well," CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj said in an official notification.

"Thus, in addition to the languages mentioned under the list of languages in point 8 of the draft policy under the heading "Regional and Foreign languages group", 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) shall continue to be offered," he said.

CBSE's Draft Norms For Conducting Class 10 Board Exams Twice

The CBSE on Tuesday approved draft norms for conducting the Class 10 board exams twice a year. According to the draft norms, Class 10 students will be able to take the board exam twice in an academic session or choose between the two -- one in February and another in May -- from 2026 onwards.

The first phase will be held from February 17 to March 6, while the second will be conducted between May 5 and 20. Candidates will also have the option to appear for both phases.

Students will also be allowed to skip specific subjects in the second attempt if they are satisfied with their performance in the first. They can skip particular subjects in the first phase as well.

The National Education Policy (NEP) recommended allowing all students to take exams on up to two occasions during any given school year to eliminate the "high stakes" aspect of the board exams.

The CBSE has clarified that no separate supplementary exam would be conducted under this system. Instead, the second phase will serve as the supplementary exam for those students who want to improve their scores.

The draft norms will now be put in the public domain and the stakeholders can submit their feedback by March 9 following which the policy will be finalised.