The University Grants Commission (UGC) has urged all higher education institutions (HEIs) across the country to implement guidelines framed by the “Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti” (BBS) under the “Learn One More Bharatiya Bhasha” initiative, aimed at promoting multilingualism and strengthening cultural integration.
BBS, a high-powered committee established in November 2021 by the Union education ministry, was formed to promote Indian languages as envisioned in National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
As part of the initiative, students will be “motivated” to learn one more Indian language besides their mother tongue, local language, or any language they have already studied.
The directive, issued by UGC secretary Prof Manish R Joshi on December 2, emphasised the NEP 2020’s focus on multilingual education to foster national unity and inclusive development.
“The initiative aims to encourage students and faculty members to learn an additional Indian language, particularly from a different state or region to strengthen cross-cultural understanding, enhance employability and contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047,” Joshi said.
The directive comes at a time when several states have courted controversy over language policies. Tamil Nadu has repeatedly resisted the “imposition” of Hindi under the three language formula of NEP 2020 and Karnataka has seen growing opposition to mandatory Hindi in schools, with the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) urging the state government to adopt a two language policy (regional language alongwith English). Even Maharashtra faced protests when it attempted to make Hindi the third language for classes 1 to 5.
{{/usCountry}}The directive comes at a time when several states have courted controversy over language policies. Tamil Nadu has repeatedly resisted the “imposition” of Hindi under the three language formula of NEP 2020 and Karnataka has seen growing opposition to mandatory Hindi in schools, with the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) urging the state government to adopt a two language policy (regional language alongwith English). Even Maharashtra faced protests when it attempted to make Hindi the third language for classes 1 to 5.
{{/usCountry}}The BBS guidelines outline the types of courses HEIs should offer, target groups, learning resources, trainer requirements, implementation steps, and incentives for stakeholders.
The guidelines mandate HEIs to offer structured basic, intermediate, and advanced courses under Ability Enhancement Courses (AECs) and allow teaching of up to three Indian languages — one local and two from the 22 scheduled languages. Institutions must set measurable proficiency targets, enable Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) records, and allow inter-HEI transferability, while ensuring courses focus on speaking, reading, and writing skills.
According to guidelines, the initiative targets students, teachers, staff, and community members aged 16 and above. HEIs may offer online courses and adapt them according to learners’ backgrounds.
Learning materials should leverage national resources. HEIs are advised to follow a phased implementation with pilot courses, appoint nodal officers, form monitoring groups, and track progress via dashboards. Incentives include proficiency-linked credits, recognition titles like “Bhasha Guru/Bandhu/Doot,” digital badges, felicitation at “Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav”, teacher immersion tours, and placement benefits. Bhasha Clubs and certified trainer pools may also be set up.
According to linguists, the initiative is crucial as learning another Indian language apart from mother tongue strengthens national and social integration, enhances cultural understanding, and bridges identity-based divides.
Dr Mahendra Kumar Mishra of Odisha, a linguist, said, “Learning an additional Indian language strengthens national and social integration in a multilingual country like India. It helps people understand each other better, appreciate the beauty of regional diversity, and overcome identity-based divides. It expands one’s cultural awareness, enhances opportunities in education, business and public life, and deepens one’s sense of belonging to India.”
Meanwhile, the Union education ministry has announced that “Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav” will be celebrated in schools from December 4 to 11 to honour Tamil poet and freedom fighter Mahakavi Subramania Bharati’s birth anniversary. This year’s theme, “Many Languages, One Emotion,” aims to foster respect for India’s linguistic diversity. Schools will organise cultural programmes, competitions, and educational activities to showcase the richness of Indian languages.
“This collective observance will inspire young learners to appreciate linguistic diversity and embrace multilingual learning as a pathway to unity, cultural empathy and national integration,” the ministry said.
The national observance of Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav officially began in 2023.