Teaching in Hindi makes better engineers, not weaker ones: IIT Jodhpur director

When IIT Jodhpur introduced Hindi as a medium of instruction for first-year engineering students last year, it was breaking new ground—becoming the first among the 23 IITs to do so. In its debut year, 116 students opted for the Hindi section. This year, 96 more enrolled.

While the textbooks and exams remain in English, classes are taught in Hindi, allowing students to grasp concepts without the constant burden of translation. From the second year, students gradually transition to English. For now, Hindi is the only regional option offered at the institute.

Director Avinash Kumar Agarwal says the initiative is already yielding striking results: students who entered with weaker grades are now performing better, with average scores jumping from around 5.5 to nearly 8.

“We kill innovation early by forcing English as the only medium. By the time students translate a sentence, the class has moved on. In Hindi, they not only understand but also ask questions. This makes them better engineers,” Agarwal told The Indian Express.

The director argues that professional education in regional languages is not just an emotional issue—it is a scientific one. He points out that leading economies like Japan, Germany, France, and Korea teach in their mother tongues without compromising global competitiveness.

He believes the move will ultimately improve job prospects:

“When students think in their own language, they think deeper. They will innovate more. That’s what industry values.”

The push aligns with the National Education Policy 2020, under which Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently urged IITs to adopt local languages. Agarwal, however, notes that scaling the initiative beyond the first year is a logistical challenge—requiring more faculty, classrooms, and resources.

Still, the institute is clear about its purpose: breaking down barriers. Agarwal underlines how the language gap has often pushed students into depression, drugs, or worse. “This is more than pedagogy. It is about mental well-being. We don’t want language to be the reason someone fails or loses confidence.”

Beyond logistics, Agarwal admits there is social resistance. “In India, learning French is considered fashionable, but Tamil or Hindi is seen as down-market. This mindset must change,” he says.

For now, the experiment is proving its worth. Students who once struggled in silence are now thriving. And as Agarwal insists:

“Our goal is not to make them scholars of English. Our goal is to make them engineers.”