Telangana govt makes Telugu a compulsory subject in CBSE, ICSE, IB, and other board-affiliated schools

The Telangana Government has mandated the inclusion of Telugu as a compulsory subject in all CBSE, ICSE, IB, and other Board-affiliated schools within the state from the forthcoming academic year.

The order states, “Replacement of SINGIDI (Standard Telugu) with VENNELA (Simple Telugu) with code (089) as per the CBSE subject list (Language Group -L) for Class IX from the A.Y. 2025-26 & for the X class from the A.Y. 2026-2027.”

It further reads that the Director of School Education, Telangana, Hyderabad, is requested to take necessary action in the matter.

The official release said that the state government had enacted the Telangana (Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Telugu in Schools) Act in 2018 to make teaching Telugu compulsory in government Zilla Parishad, mandal parishad, aided schools, as well as CBSE, ICSE, IB and other Board-affiliated schools. However, the implementation faced challenges, particularly concerning non-Telugu-speaking students and the availability of teachers. 

As per the PTI report, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy Tuesday announced that the 'Simple Telugu' textbook, ‘Vennela’, would be used for exams, which would make it easier for students of classes 9th and 10th of CBSE and other boards. The textbook would also benefit students whose mother tongue is not Telugu or for students from other states.

Centre-Tamil Nadu Hindi Language War

The language war started after the Tamil Nadu government alleged that the Centre did not allocate funds to the state due to its refusal to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. While Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has rejected the “Hindi imposition” through NEP implementation allegations, he has asserted that the Centre is committed to implementing the education policy across the country.

Dharmendra Pradhan said in Delhi that the NEP does not impose Hindi or any other language on students in the DMK-ruled state “but what is wrong if a student in Tamil Nadu learns multilingual aspect in education?” 

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said on February 21 that the state would never accept the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the three-language policy.

CBSE double boards for Class 10

The CBSE proposed a major reform in the Class X examination system on February 25, introducing two board exams from the 2025-26 academic session. This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to reduce academic pressure by offering students a chance to improve their scores.

The proposal was discussed in a high-level meeting at the Ministry of Education, chaired by the Union Minister of Education. A draft policy released Tuesday has been developed and uploaded on the CBSE website (https://www.cbse.gov.in), inviting feedback from schools, teachers, parents, and students until March 9, 2025.

(With inputs from PTI)