Summary
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a directive urging higher education institutions across India to actively promote the ‘Learn One More Bharatiya Bhasha’ initiative.
The programme aims to encourage students, faculty members, and local communities to learn an additional Indian language from a different region, strengthening national integration and cultural understanding.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a directive urging higher education institutions across India to actively promote the ‘Learn One More Bharatiya Bhasha’ initiative. The programme aims to encourage students, faculty members, and local communities to learn an additional Indian language from a different region, strengthening national integration and cultural understanding.
The initiative is supported by detailed guidelines prepared by the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti (BBS), outlining how universities can introduce and implement new language courses. According to the UGC, learning an additional Indian language is comparatively easier because Indian languages share significant similarities in vocabulary, grammar, script structure, and sound systems. This, the commission said, will help students, teachers, and staff adopt new languages without major difficulty.
Under the guidelines, higher education institutions have been asked to offer communicative-focused language courses designed to enhance both speaking and reading-writing skills in the target language. All university students are to be motivated to learn at least one Indian language other than their mother tongue and local language.
The initiative identifies undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students as the primary target group, while also allowing institutions to create learner segments such as heritage speakers, beginners, learners with disabilities, or professionals needing specialised vocabulary. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pathways may also be offered.
To support course delivery, colleges may develop their own learning resources, including texts, videos, audio modules, and situational dialogues, using in-house expertise or through collaborations with other institutions. HEIs may also share or co-develop educational materials with partner colleges.
For teaching and training, universities have been authorised to hire trainers from within or outside their institution, preferably those with diverse language backgrounds. HEIs have been asked to clearly define faculty competencies and may offer short, stackable credentials for trainers specialising in Task-Based Language Teaching and CLIL.
The guidelines also emphasise structured incentives for learners and mentors. Students meeting the specified proficiency standards will earn micro-credentials reflected in the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) and on their academic transcripts. Mentors whose groups achieve consistent proficiency improvements will be eligible for credits contributing to a stackable ‘HEI Language Mentor’ certificate.
The UGC’s push to expand Indian language learning aims to strengthen linguistic unity, promote cultural exchange, and support multilingual education across the country.
Read the full notice here.
Last updated on 05 Dec 2025
