IGNOU signs MoU with IIT Bombay to boost multilingual education through AI

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to collaborate on Project Udaan, an AI-powered translation initiative aimed at enhancing access to educational resources in Indian languages.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two institutions to formalize the partnership, which seeks to translate academic and technical content into multiple regional languages using cutting-edge technology.

The signing ceremony took place on May 30 at the IGNOU headquarters and was chaired by the university’s vice chancellor, with senior academic leaders present.

Project Udaan combines optical character recognition (OCR), layout preservation, domain-specific glossaries, and human-in-the-loop editing to ensure high-quality translations of educational materials.

According to an official statement, this collaboration will enable IGNOU to make its vast repository of educational content accessible to learners in diverse linguistic regions across India.

“This partnership with IIT Bombay is a powerful alignment with our vision to democratize higher education. Through Project Udaan, we aim to bridge the language divide and empower learners in every corner of India,” the V-C of IGNOU said.

Prof Ganesh Ramakrishnan, Chair Professor in Digital Entrepreneurship at the Bank of Baroda and principal investigator of Project Udaan, represented IIT Bombay at the event.

“Udaan is designed to serve the linguistic and educational diversity of India. This MoU marks a critical step in translating that vision into impact at scale, with IGNOU’s vast learner base,” he said.

Prof Nayantara Padhi, faculty at the School of Management Studies and the MoU coordinator from IGNOU, highlighted the transformative potential of the collaboration.

“This collaboration reflects IGNOU’s commitment to educational equity and innovation,” she said.

“By integrating AI-enabled translation tools with our academic delivery, we are opening new doors for learners in regional and rural contexts who will now have access to high-quality content in their own languages,” she added.

The initiative aligns with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, particularly its focus on multilingual education, digital access, and equitable learning opportunities.

It also supports national missions such as Digital India and Bharat Bhasha, further strengthening India’s efforts in inclusive, culturally grounded AI research, the statement added.