Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 26 (HBTV): The Telangana government on Wednesday issued an order making Telugu a compulsory subject in CBSE, ICSE, IB, and other board-affiliated schools across the state.

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 and for Class X from the A.Y. 2026-27.’

It further directs the Director of School Education, Telangana, Hyderabad, to take necessary action to implement the order.

Notably, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday proposed a major reform in the Class X examination system, introducing two board exams starting from the 2025-26 academic session. This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to reduce academic pressure by allowing 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 on Tuesday has been uploaded on the CBSE website (https://www.cbse.gov.in), inviting feedback from schools, teachers, parents, and students until March 9, 2025.

As per the draft policy, the first phase of exams is scheduled from February 17 to March 6, while the second phase will be conducted from May 5 to May 20. In 2026, approximately 26.60 lakh Class X students and 20 lakh Class XII students are expected to take the exams.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday strongly criticized Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of raising ‘imaginary concerns’ driven by political motivations.

Addressing a press conference, Pradhan emphasized that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not impose any language on any state.

‘The primary essence of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is to bring global standards to education while keeping it rooted in India,’ he said.

He further claimed that Tamil Nadu is losing INR 5,000 crore by not implementing PM Shri schools, which focus on scientific education and teaching methods in Tamil. He asserted that the NEP encourages education in the mother tongue up to Class VIII.

(ANI)