To make higher education accessible to everyone, University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar has written a letter to all Governors and Chief Ministers requesting them to encourage the teaching-learning process and textbooks in their mother tongue in higher education institutions.
M Jagadesh Kumar, in his letter, writes, “It is heartening to note that textbooks in the mother tongue/local languages are promoted and used by higher education institutions in our country.
Teaching is also being imparted in the mother tongue/local language in many college and university undergraduate programs in social sciences, commerce, science, etc. This has benefited students from all strata of our society, particularly the disadvantaged sections and those residing in rural and remote areas.”
“It is also a matter of concern that the textbooks and study materials are unavailable in local languages for many of the courses in Higher Education, Science, Commerce, and Professional Courses. Hence as a first step in providing quality education in the mother tongue medium as recommended in NEP 2020, it is desired that textbooks may be produced in the mother tongue/local language through writing or translation for the subjects of which textbooks are not available in mother tongue/local language at present,” he further wrote.
“Promotion of writing or translation of textbooks and teaching process in undergraduate and postgraduate levels in higher education through mother tongue medium will have greater results in improved GER from 27 per cent to 50 per cent by 2035, increased access to disadvantageous social groups, and better reach.
Keeping all the above in view, UGC has constituted an apex committee consisting of Vice-chancellors from different states to take the above task forward,” Kumar suggested.
UGC chairman further added, “Higher education institutions play a strategic and important role in preparing textbooks and supporting the teaching-learning process in the mother tongue. There is a need to strengthen these efforts and promote such initiatives as writing textbooks in the mother tongue and encouraging the use of the local language in teaching, including translating good books from other languages.
We seek your kind indulgence in this matter and request you kindly motivate and encourage higher education institutions in your State.”
Notably, M Jagadesh Kumar has suggested that a list should be prepared of which textbooks/reference books/study material is unavailable in the local language. Also, scholars should be identified who can write or translate.
