UGC asks Governors, CMs to encourage teaching in local languages in HIEs

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has written to all governors and chief ministers asking them to encourage teaching and learning and production of textbooks in the mother tongue in their higher education institutions (HEIs), chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said.

“Teaching through Indian languages ​​is a key focus area of ​​the National Education Policy 2020. The policy emphasizes the importance of teaching and learning materials in the mother tongue. It is encouraging that higher education institutions in our country are promoting and using textbooks in mother tongue and local languages,” Kumar said.

“Teaching is also imparted in mother tongue and local language in many college and university undergraduate programs in social sciences, business and natural sciences. This benefits students from all walks of life in our society, especially from disadvantaged sections and those residing in rural and remote areas,” he added.

Kumar noted that it is a matter of concern that textbooks and study materials are not available in local languages ​​for many higher education, science, commerce and professional courses. “As a first step in providing quality education in mother tongue as recommended in NEP 2020, it is desirable that textbooks can be produced in mother tongue, local language through writing or translation for subjects for which textbooks are not available. mother tongue and local language at present.

"Encouraging the writing or translation of textbooks and the teaching process at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in higher education through the medium of the mother tongue will have better results in improving the gross enrollment ratio from 27 percent to 50 percent by 2035, better access to disadvantaged social groups, and better range.

"There is a need to strengthen these efforts and support initiatives such as writing textbooks in the mother tongue and promoting the use of the local language in education, including translating good books from other languages," he added.