Delhi government withdraws Class 9 rule linking R3 pass to Class 10 board eligibility

The Delhi government has rescinded a rule in its revised class 9 examination and promotion policy that barred students from taking the class 10 board exams if they failed the third language (R3) subject. Previously, the Directorate of Education allowed class 9 students to progress to the next grade after clearing R3 during their class 10 studies, but the subject would then become mandatory for board exams.

The withdrawal comes after confusion over the earlier directive. The CBSE's three-language policy, mandated by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, went into effect on July 1. Under the new guidelines, R3 is evaluated solely through school-based internal assessment with no separate board exam requirement.

The Delhi Education Department's policy change also mandated the inclusion of vocational education as a compulsory subject for class 9 students, replacing the previous Mathematics Basic and Standard exams.