Haryana government implements three language formula in state schools, move lauded

AMBALA: The Haryana government has implemented three language formulas in the schools under the Board of School Education, Bhiwani, in consonance with the mandate of New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in Class IX and X.
The order in this regard was issued by Pankaj Agarwal, Haryana government’s principal secretary (PS) for school education department on February 20, 2025.
As per the order, the students of Class IX and X will have to mandatory study English and Hindi languages, while for third language, they will have option of selecting one language among three i.e. Sanskrit, Punjabi or Urdu. Other mandatory subjects include Mathematics, Science, and Social Science. These students will have the option of selecting one subject among vocational subjects, physical education, drawing, music, etc.
The order also clarifies that the new subject combination shall be applicable in Class IX from academic session 2025-26 and will subsequently be applicable for both Class IX and X from academic session 2026-27.

On Monday, the Punjabi teachers and language promotion society (PTLPS) of Haryana expressed gratitude to the government for this decision. Society’s state president Harjeet Gill, patron Pooran Singh Badech, state convener Naib Singh Mander and senior vice president Gurdeep Singh thanked Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, education minister Mahipal Dhanda and PS Pankaj Agarwal and director of secondary education Jitendra Kumar on behalf of all language teachers.
Haryana has now become the first state to implement the three-language formula as proposed in the NEP 2020. According to the society, this policy will enhance students’ moral values and increase job opportunities for them both in India and abroad.
They also emphasized that language options should always be replaced by another language and not by vocational or other subjects. The organization urged the government to ensure that the three-language formula is implemented in all CBSE-affiliated schools in Haryana, making it mandatory for students of Class IX and X to study three languages.

PTLPS general secretary Sunil Goel pointed out that while teachers of other subjects have already received promotions to lecturer posts, Punjabi teachers have been waiting for their promotions for a long time. He demanded that they be promoted based on merit at the earliest.
Additionally, Goel urged the government to introduce the CBSE curriculum for Punjabi in Haryana Board schools from Class IX to XII, as it is more structured and aligned with students’ interests. He also requested that Punjabi textbooks be made available in all government schools before the new academic session begins.
PTLPS demanded that districts with a significant Punjabi-speaking population—including Panchkula, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Karnal, and Kaithal—must have Punjabi teachers and lecturers in all government and private schools. They also urged that these districts be prioritized in the upcoming teacher transfer drive.
Furthermore, they called for arrangements to introduce Punjabi as a subject from Class III in these districts in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP).