The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur introduced Btech courses in Hindi from the new academic session, joining the list of institutions providing engineering education in the Hindi language; this initiative has the motive to assist students struggling with limited English proficiency. IIT-BHU was the first Indian Institute of Technology to offer BTech courses in Hindi. The Senate, during its 38th meeting held on June 26, approved this initiative and Ravi Jingar, Assistant Registrar at the Office of Academic Affairs, IIT Jodhpur, stated that the decision aimed at assisting students who face challenges due to a lack of proficiency in English.
The Ministry of Education tweeted on the “X”, “The Ministry of Education is pleased to share that @iitjodhpur will now offer B. Tech 1st year courses in both Hindi and English, beginning this academic year! This initiative is designed to ensure all students can learn effectively in the language they are most comfortable with. Both sections will be taught by the same instructor, maintaining consistency and quality, it is a significant step towards fostering a more inclusive and supportive educational environment at IIT Jodhpur. ”
Positive Change
- In a Physics course, some students are comfortable with English, and some with Hindi, the batch will be divided accordingly, but the same professor will teach both mediums.
- The study material and assignments for First Year undergraduate students available in both languages
- Students will also be provided remedial “English classes” to improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in the language.
- IIT-Jodhpur’s decision with the new National Education Policy, 2020, which advocates imparting education in Indian languages for an improved understanding and better teaching-learning outcomes.
- The move is significant as the IITs had initially shown resistance to the proposal.
Key Highlights
- In early 2021, the Education Ministry set up a committee to explore the feasibility of IITs and NITs offer tech programmes in regional languages.
- At that time, some of the top IITs cautioned the Centre against the idea, citing potential challenges related to employment opportunities, industry requirements, and the globalised workplace.
- Highlighted the significant logistical challenges this would pose for IITs, including issues with faculty, textbooks and reference material.
- For now, IIT-Jodhpur offers the option only to its new batch of students starting this year.
Admission Process
- Admission to IIT Jodhpur is based on the merit list from the Joint Entrance Examination Advanced (JEE Advanced 2024).
- Upon admission, students were asked to indicate their preferred medium of instruction. Accordingly, they will be allotted a section for classes.
- The first-year courses would be taught for English and Hindi sections by the same instructor to ensure the same rigour in the teaching-learning processes.
- This Circular supersedes all the earlier circulars, for the medium of instruction, in totality.
The goal of this action promote a learning environment. IIT Jodhpur is demonstrating its commitment to accommodating students from a variety of linguistic backgrounds by providing courses in both Hindi and English. This is especially important for students who struggle to understand the technical ideas in a language that they are less familiar with.
