Karnataka slashes SSLC total marks to 525; 3rd language scores will no longer count from this year

Karnataka School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa Friday announced that marks scored in the third language will no longer be considered while calculating a student’s Senior School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) score.

Students appearing for the SSLC examinations (Class 10 Board) are scheduled to write their third language paper on March 31. While attendance remains mandatory, the 100-mark paper will no longer factor into the overall result. This effectively reduces the total marks for SSLC from 625 to 525, with immediate effect from the ongoing examination cycle.

Bangarappa attributed the decision to sustained pressure from pro-Kannada organisations, which raised concerns about the ‘indirect imposition of Hindi’ through the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. The minister noted that although students have nine options for their third language – including Sanskrit, Tulu, Marathi, Kannada, and Arabic – a large majority of schools had opted for Hindi, making the choice less voluntary in practice.