NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairperson, Prof. M Jagadesh Kumar, has written to Governors and chief state ministers expressing concern that the textbooks and study materials are unavailable in local languages for many higher education courses.
He urged them to produce textbooks in their mother tongue through writing or translation for the subjects of which textbooks are not available in the local language.
In his letter, he urged them to prepare a list of such textbooks, reference books, and study material which is unavailable in the local language; identify scholars who can write or translate; to take other necessary actions to support all such endeavours to strengthen the efforts of producing good quality textbooks in the local languages and to encourage the teaching-learning process in the mother tongue.
“Teaching through Indian languages is a key area of focus of the National Education Policy 2020. The policy envisages the importance of teaching and teaching materials in the mother tongue,” he said.
He said it is heartening to note that textbooks in the mother tongue are promoted and used by higher education institutions in India.
Teaching is also being imparted in the mother tongue in many college and university undergraduate programmes in social sciences, commerce, etc.
This has benefited students from all strata of our society, particularly the disadvantaged sections and those residing in rural and remote areas, he said.
“But 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,” he said.
He said that the promotion of writing or translation of textbooks and the teaching process in undergraduate and postgraduate levels in higher education through the mother tongue 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.
Prof Kumar said they had constituted an apex committee of vice-chancellors from different states to take the task forward.