The Haryana government has introduced a three-language system for Class IX and X in schools under the Board of School Education, Bhiwani, following the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. On February 20, Pankaj Agarwal, the principal secretary of the Haryana school education department, issued the directive in this regard.

Students of Class IX and X must study English and Hindi as compulsory languages. For the third language, they can choose from Sanskrit, Punjabi, or Urdu. In addition to languages, they are also required to study Mathematics, Science, and Social Science. Students will also be able to choose from a variety of vocational subjects, such as music, drawing, physical education, and more.  The order also specified that the new subject combination would be introduced in Class IX starting from the 2025-26 academic session. It will then be implemented for both Class IX and X from the 2026-27 session. 

On Monday, the Punjabi Teachers and Language Promotion Society (PTLPS) of Haryana welcomed this decision and thanked the government. Additionally, postgraduate degrees will be offered in art, design, architecture and communication. Harjeet Gill, the president of the society, along with patron Pooran Singh Badech, state convener Naib Singh Mander, and senior vice-president Gurdeep Singh, expressed their gratitude to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda, Principal Secretary Pankaj Agarwal, and Director of Secondary Education Jitendra Kumar on behalf of all language teachers. Haryana is now the first state to adopt the three-language formula as suggested in the NEP 2020. According to society, this policy will help students develop strong moral values and create better job opportunities for them in India and abroad.

They stressed that if a language subject is removed, it should be replaced with another language, not with vocational or other subjects. The organisation requested the government to strictly implement the three-language formula in all CBSE-affiliated schools in Haryana, ensuring that students in Classes IX and X must study three languages. PTLPS General Secretary, Sunil Goel, highlighted that teachers of other subjects had already been promoted to lecturer positions, but Punjabi teachers had been waiting for their promotions for a long time. He urged that their promotions be granted based on merit as soon as possible. Goel also requested the government to introduce the CBSE curriculum for Punjabi in Haryana Board schools from Class IX to XII, stating that it is more structured and better suited to students' needs. Additionally, he emphasised the need for Punjabi textbooks to be available in all government schools before the new academic session begins.

The PTLPS has demanded that government and private schools in districts with a large Punjabi-speaking population—such as Panchkula, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Karnal, and Kaithal—must have Punjabi teachers and lecturers. They have also requested that these districts be given priority in the upcoming teacher transfer drive. Additionally, they have called for Punjabi to be introduced as a subject from Class III in these districts, following the guidelines of the National Education Policy.