Highlights:
- JEE-Main to be conducted in more languages said Union Education Minister
- JEE-Main is currently conducted in 3 languages
- JEE-Main is also an eligibility test for JEE-Advanced
Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank”, the Union Education Minister, on Thursday, announced that the Joint Admission Board (JAB) for 23 IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) has decided the computer-based JEE-Main for admission to engineering colleges across the country will be conducted in more regional languages.
The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main, which is also an eligibility test for the JEE-Advanced for admission to the IITs, is currently offered in three languages – Hindi, Gujarati, and English. The test will be offered in regional languages from next year.
Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, in a series of tweets, said, “In line with the vision of #NEP2020, the Joint Admission Board (JAB) of #JEE (Main) has decided to conduct the JEE (Main) examination in more regional languages of India.”
“The examination will also be conducted in regional languages where entry to State Engineering Colleges is decided based on an examination (conducted in regional language). State language of States who admit students based on the #JEE(Main) will also be included under this.
“This decision has far-reaching implications as Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji has pointed out that top-scoring countries in PISA examination use mother tongue as a medium of instruction. The decision of JAB will help students comprehend questions better & score higher.”
The examination will also be conducted in regional languages where entry to State Engineering Colleges is decided based on an examination (conducted in regional language). State language of States who admit students based on the #JEE(Main) will also be included under this.
— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) October 22, 2020
This decision has far-reaching implications as Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji has pointed out that top-scoring countries in PISA examination use mother tongue as a medium of instruction. The decision of JAB will help students comprehend questions better & score higher. @DG_NTA
— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) October 22, 2020
In 2019 the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee questions the inclusion of Gujarati language as a medium of writing the exam and not Bengali, she demanded inclusion of other regional languages.
The Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development then clarified that it has been offering the test in Gujarati following a request from the state and said that the test will be offered in all 11 languages from 2021. The ministry also asked NTA (National Testing Agency) to explore the possibility of offering JEE-Main competitive exams in as many languages as possible.
