CBSE sets five compulsory board subjects for 2028 cohort

The Central Board of Secondary Education has clarified that students who are in Class 9 during the 2026-27 academic year will take five compulsory subjects in their Class 10 board examinations in 2028, with an optional skill paper that may help them qualify if they fail mathematics, science or social science. The five board-exam subjects will be two languages, mathematics, science and social science. The optional skill paper is not a sixth compulsory examination subject. The clarification applies to the 2028 cohort, not students currently in Class 10. The board said vocational education will remain compulsory as a curricular area. Students can meet that requirement by choosing Kaushal Vikas or one of 22 skill subjects notified by CBSE. The board-exam structure is distinct from the curriculum: students in the cohort will study nine compulsory curricular subjects, including a third language, art education, physical education and wellbeing, and vocational education. Students taking one of the 22 skill subjects must sit a Class 10 board examination in that subject. Successful candidates will receive certification under the National Skills Qualifications Framework, and the...