The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all universities across the country to allow students to write exams in local or regional languages.

The UGC has said even if the course is offered in English medium, students should be given the option to write answers in local languages during exams.

UGC chairman Professor M. Jagadesh Kumar has said that translation of original writing in local languages and use local language in the teaching-learning process at universities should be promoted in universities.

“Promotion and regular use of Indian languages in education is an important area of focus in the National Education Policy 2020. The policy emphasises the importance of teaching and communication in local languages. It stresses the need to promote communication in all Indian languages for better cognitive achievement and overall personality development of the learners,” he said.

According to the UGC Chairman, the teaching-learning process in local languages has benefited students, especially from socially and economically disadvantaged groups. However, the academic ecosystem continues to be English medium-centric.

“If teaching, learning and evaluation are strengthened in local languages, it will increase the participation of students in teaching-learning, which will increase their success rate. This will specifically strengthen efforts to achieve the envisaged goal of increasing the Gross Enrollment Ratio in higher education from 27 per cent to 50 per cent by 2035,” Prof. Kumar asserted.

According to the UGC chairman, higher education institutions have an important role in creating text books in local languages and promoting the teaching-learning process. There is a need to strengthen the efforts being made to encourage use of local languages in teaching, including the writing of textbooks in local languages and translation of standard books in other languages.

In order to implement these arrangements, the UGC has also sought several information from various universities. Under this, universities have been asked to list subject-wise textbooks which are available in local languages. Further, a subject-wise list of major subjects has been sought for which textbooks should be translated into local languages.