In a move considered a significant relief for students struggling with traditional subjects like Science, Mathematics, and Social Science, the Central Board of Secondary Education has announced a new policy change. Students failing any of these three compulsory subjects in Class 10 will now have the option to replace it with a skill subject.
"If a student fails in any one of the three compulsory subjects (i.e., Science, Mathematics and Social Science) and passes in the Skill subject (offered as sixth optional subject), then that subject will be replaced by the Skill subject and the result of Class X Board examination will be computed accordingly," reads the CBSE Secondary Curriculum 2024-25.
The new curriculum further clears that if a student fails in any language subject out of the first five subjects they take, it will be substituted with the language they've chosen as either their sixth subject (if no skill subjects are offered) or their seventh subject (if optional). "If a student fails in any language subject, out of first five subjects, the same will be replaced by the language taken as sixth subject (in case of no skills subjects offered) or as seventh subject (optional), provided that he or she has passed this language and after replacement, either Hindi or English remains as a passed language in the first five subjects," states the new curriculum.
Download: CBSE Secondary Curriculum 2024-25
It further expects all students to have studied three languages up to class VIII. Students who couldn't clear the third language in class VIII and were promoted to class IX would be examined by their respective schools at the end of Class IX using the same syllabus and textbooks prescribed for class VIII. It was also mentioned that those who remained unable to clear the third language by the end of class IX might be given another opportunity in class X. No student would be eligible to appear in the Secondary School Examination of the Board at the end of class X unless they had passed the third language. Additionally, it must be noted that children with special needs (CWSN) are exempted from the study of the third language.
Skill Subjects
| S. No. | Code | Name |
| 1 | 401 | Retail Store Operations Assistant |
| 2 | 402* | Information Technology |
| 3 | 403 | Security |
| 4 | 404 | Automotive |
| 5 | 405 | Introduction to Financial Markets |
| 6 | 406 | Introduction to Tourism |
| 7 | 407 | Beauty & Wellness |
| 8 | 408 | Agriculture |
| 9 | 409 | Food Production |
| 10 | 410 | Front Office Operations |
| 11 | 411 | Banking & Insurance |
| 12 | 412 | Marketing & Sales |
| 13 | 413 | Health Care |
| 14 | 414 | Apparel |
| 15 | 415 | Multi-Media |
| 16 | 416 | Multi Skill Foundation Course |
| 17 | 417* | Artificial Intelligence |
| 18 | 418 | Physical Activity Trainer (New) |
| 19 | 419 | Data Science |
| 20 | 420 | Electronics and Hardware (New) |
| 21 | 421 | Foundation Skills for Sciences (Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology) (New) |
| 22 | 422 | Design Thinking and Innovation (New) |
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