NEW DELHI: Starting 2021, the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) will also be held in various regional languages, Union education minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank announced on Thursday.
The decision has been made by the Joint Admission Board (JAB), in line with the vision of the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Pokhriyal said.
"In line with the vision of #NEP2020, the Joint Admission Board (JAB) of #JEE (Main) has decided to conduct the JEE (Main) examination in more regional languages of India," Nishank tweeted.
As of now the entrance test for engineering colleges across India is held only in English, Hindi and Gujarati.
Sources in the ministry said that students in Gujarat, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haweli also had the option of writing the JEE Main examination in Gujarati because of a special provision.
“Gujarat government, first in 2013, had requested the board to conduct JEE main in Gujarati and the same practice has continued on request,” an official said.
"The examination will also be conducted in regional languages where entry to State Engineering Colleges is decided based on an examination (conducted in regional language). State language of states who admit students based on the #JEE(Main) will also be included under this."
"This decision has far-reaching implications as Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has pointed out that top-scoring countries in PISA examination use mother tongue as a medium of instruction. The decision of JAB will help students comprehend questions better and score higher," he said in a series of tweets.
According to National Testing Agency (NTA) officials, the regional languages in which the test will be offered are yet to be decided.
"The exam will be offered in those regional languages in which the states are already conducting their local entrance exams for engineering. More languages will be added following whichever states are part of the JEE-Main and wants their language to be included in the test," an official said.
Last year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while questioning the inclusion of Gujarati as a medium of writing the exam, demanded inclusion of other regional languages.
(With PTI Inputs)