Punjab govt mandates Punjabi must for Class 10 amid CBSE draft norms - what's the dispute

The Punjab government has mandated Punjabi as a compulsory subject for passing Class 10 in all school boards, including CBSE, ICSE, IB, and regional boards. This decision intensifies the ongoing controversy with the Centre, following Punjab's dissatisfaction with CBSE's draft policy for the 2025-26 Class 10 board exams, which omitted Punjabi from its list of regional languages. 

The state government has been clear that any Class 10 certificate without Punjabi will be considered invalid in Punjab, escalating tensions between state and central education authorities.

The controversy began when CBSE's draft policy outlined five main subjects — English, Hindi, Math, Science, and Social Science — while listing regional and foreign languages separately, inadvertently excluding Punjabi. CBSE has since clarified that the list is only indicative and not final, assuring that all current subjects, including Punjabi, will remain available. 

According to CBSE, the languages mentioned in Point 8 of the draft policy under the "Regional and Foreign Languages" group will continue. These include 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).

"It is clarified that the list of other subjects and languages included in the draft datesheet is only indicative and that all the subjects and languages currently offered shall continue to be available for the 2025-2026 academic year as well," CBSE stated. 

Punjab's Education Minister Harjot Bains expressed strong dissatisfaction, questioning why Punjabi, the primary language of the state, was not included as a main subject. He announced: “Punjab Government has issued its own notification that all Boards in Punjab, if they want to impart education in Punjab, will have to have Punjabi as the main subject in Class 10... You can't club it with any foreign language. Otherwise your CBSE certificate will be null and void." Bains also wrote to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, demanding action against those responsible for the omission, stating, “I said that this was not a clerical mistake and we wanted action against the officer who did this. Every Punjabi is hurt with this.”

According to the Punjab Learning of Punjabi and Other Languages Act, 2008, Punjabi has been a compulsory subject from Classes 1 to 10 in state board schools, reinforcing the state's commitment to the language. The Act ensures that Punjabi education is not compromised, following an amendment in 2021 that increased penalties for schools not complying with these requirements. The state's move aligns with practices in other states like Bengal and Telangana, which have made their regional languages compulsory in schools.

The education system in India falls under the Concurrent List, allowing both central and state governments to legislate on it. However, states do not have unilateral authority to change regulations affecting national-level boards like CBSE. Any significant changes must receive approval from CBSE and the central government, as CBSE operates under the Ministry of Education. This shared authority sometimes complicates policy implementations, as seen in the current scenario where state directives clash with national policies.

Bains also criticised the examination scheduling in the CBSE draft, highlighting issues such as potential clashes between regional and foreign language exams, which could prevent students from studying Punjabi alongside languages like Mandarin. He emphasised the need for Punjabi to be recognised as a regional language at the national level, advocating for its rightful inclusion in the core curriculum across all educational boards. This demand for inclusion underscores a broader call for respecting regional identities within the national education framework.

Revised Class X board schedule

Based on the proposed schedule, the Class 10 board exams will occur in two phases. The first phase is scheduled from February 17 to March 6, followed by the second phase from May 5 to May 20. This new schedule condenses the exam period to 16-18 days, which is approximately half of the current 32-day duration.

As a result, students can expect only one or two days off between exams, depending on their chosen subjects. This is significantly shorter than the current intervals, which can range from five to 10 days.

The first exam's results are anticipated to be announced by April 20, with the second exam's results expected by June 30. For students taking both exams, their final marksheet will reflect their best score.