Is Hindi Now Compulsory For Grade 9 & 10 CBSE Students?

The UAE's CBSE schools are awaiting official confirmation from the CBSE Board of India as to whether Hindi will become a compulsory subject up to Grade 10 in the new academic year.

Although the board has issued no new circulars on the subject, schools still remain confused as to the new 'three-language' requirement set by the board.

Last year, the board did discuss the three-language formula (English plus two Indian languages) to Grade nine and ten, however the decision has been on hold until the Ministry of Human Resource Development comes to a decision.

According to the Gulf News, however, several publications in India have noted that the president is keen to implement the new plan.

Other Indian papers have reported that Hindi will only be implemented in 'Region A' States for now.

The new plan has implications for the UAE's CBSE students all of which already currently study English and Arabic as mandatory.

Many CBSE students in the UAE choose French or Spanish as the third language while the large Keralan community often opts for Malayalam.

The Indian High School principal Ashok Kumar told Gulf News parents do not need to worry immediately as any decision would take time to implement. 

 “If at all there is any change, it will be introduced only after this academic year. The board will not make such major changes in the middle of the academic year,” he said.