Chandigarh/Amritsar-Guru Nanak Dev College (GNDU), Amritsar has taken a historic and people-centric step by approving the Punjabi-First Schooling, Analysis and Governance Coverage 2026, inserting Punjabi (Gurmukhi) on the coronary heart of upper training—with out compromising world educational requirements.
Saying the choice, Prof. Karamjeet Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev College, stated that the coverage is aimed toward reconnecting larger training with society and making information accessible to the folks within the language they perceive finest.
At a time when larger training usually feels distant from society, this coverage seeks to reconnect universities with the language of their folks. GNDU will now require that main analysis work—comparable to PhD theses, dissertations, challenge stories and funded analysis outputs—be submitted each within the main educational language (often English) and in Punjabi (Gurmukhi).
The intent is easy but highly effective: information created in Punjab must be accessible not solely to the worldwide educational world, but additionally to Punjabi-speaking college students, lecturers, dad and mom, policymakers and residents, Prof. Karamjeet Singh noticed.
International Information, Native Entry
The College has clarified that Punjabi submissions won’t be symbolic or ceremonial. They are going to be academically sound, trustworthy to the unique analysis, and evaluated for readability and accuracy. Whereas analysis high quality will proceed to be judged primarily in the principle submission language, the Punjabi model will be sure that concepts, improvements and findings don’t stay locked behind language limitations.
Importantly, college students won’t be penalized for stylistic variations in Punjabi writing, so long as that means and accuracy are preserved. The main target stays studying, inclusion and confidence—not linguistic policing.
Why This Issues to College students and Punjab
For a lot of college students—particularly from rural, border and first-generation backgrounds—considering and expressing concepts in Punjabi comes naturally. This coverage empowers them to have interaction extra deeply with analysis whereas retaining nationwide and worldwide mobility.
For Punjab, the influence is far-reaching. Analysis on agriculture, well being, training, regulation, surroundings, entrepreneurship and society will now be obtainable in Punjabi, enabling wider public understanding, higher policymaking and sooner information switch to colleges, startups, establishments and communities. Punjabi is thus positioned not solely as a language of tradition, however as a language of science, innovation and public good, the Vice-Chancellor stated.
Sturdy Educational Assist System
To make sure rigour and consistency, GNDU will set up sturdy institutional assist, together with: Division-wise Punjabi educational glossaries, Punjabi educational writing and quotation information, a devoted Punjabi Educational Assist Unit for terminology and translation help and a bilingual digital repository archiving analysis in each languages
Fashionable instruments, together with AI-based translation, could also be used responsibly—however the scholar will stay absolutely accountable for accuracy and educational integrity.
Phased and Truthful Implementation
The coverage will probably be carried out regularly to make sure a easy transition:
Yr 1: Doctoral theses and funded analysis Yr 2: Grasp’s dissertations Yr 3: Main challenge stories and institutional analysis
Restricted exceptions will probably be permitted solely in extremely technical or legally restricted instances, with obligatory Punjabi summaries.
Aligned with Nationwide Schooling Coverage 2020
This initiative strongly displays the spirit of the Nationwide Schooling Coverage 2020, which advocates multilingualism, mother-tongue training and removing of language limitations in larger training. GNDU’s mannequin demonstrates how regional languages can coexist with world educational excellence.
A Step In direction of a Extra Inclusive College
By institutionalising bilingual analysis, GNDU is strengthening intercultural understanding and reaffirming the position of public universities as bridges between information and society. Reiterating the College’s dedication, Prof. Karamjeet Singh stated that GNDU stays devoted to excellence, fairness and cultural management. The Punjabi-First Schooling, Analysis and Governance Coverage 2026 is a decisive transfer to make sure that larger training in Punjab stays world-class, rooted, and socially significant.
