Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains has strongly criticized the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) draft policy for the 2025-26 Class 10 board exams, condemning the exclusion of Punjabi from the list of main subjects and warning that CBSE certificates could be rendered invalid in Punjab if the language is treated on par with foreign languages.
Speaking to ANI, Bains expressed his disappointment over the new policy. “CBSE has proposed that Class 10 exams will be held twice — in February and May. According to the draft, the five main subjects will be Science, Math, Social Science, English, and Hindi. Besides these, there are two sub-groups — one for regional and foreign languages and another for vocational courses. Exams for regional and foreign languages will take place on the same day,” he explained.
He slammed the decision to group Punjabi, the state’s primary language, with foreign languages like Mandarin. “You removed the state’s main language from the list of main subjects. This has deeply hurt the sentiments of Punjabis not just in Punjab but across India — in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP, Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata,” Bains said.
In response to a statement from BJP Punjab’s official handle calling it a clerical mistake, Bains demanded accountability. “I have written a strong letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, making it clear that this was no clerical mistake. We demand strict action against the official responsible,” he added.
The Punjab government has taken a firm stand, making it mandatory for all educational boards operating in the state to recognize Punjabi as a main subject for Class 10. “We have issued a notification stating that if any board wants to operate in Punjab, Punjabi must be a main subject. Otherwise, the CBSE certificate will be null and void in the state,” Bains warned.
In response to the backlash, CBSE issued an addendum clarifying that the language list in the draft policy was only indicative and not final. The board assured that all languages, including Punjabi, Russian, Nepali, Malayalam, Assamese, Telugu, and others, will continue to be offered in the 2025-26 academic session.
CBSE’s proposed changes align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, introducing two board exams a year to reduce academic pressure and provide students more opportunities to improve their scores. The draft policy, uploaded on the CBSE website, invites feedback from schools, teachers, parents, and students until March 9, 2025.
