AICTE to publish engineering textbooks in 12 regional languages by 2026

In a big move to promote inclusive and accessible education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is working on a plan to publish engineering textbooks in 12 Indian regional languages by December 2026. This initiative aims to support students pursuing diploma and degree courses in engineering, especially those from rural and semi-urban areas.

According to AICTE Chairman, Professor T G Sitharam, textbooks for the first and second years of both diploma and degree programmes are already completed. “We’ve also finished around 40 to 50 textbooks for the third year, and work is going on for the remaining ones,” he shared in an interview.

These textbooks are available in languages such as Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. They cover key engineering branches like Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Science.

Learning Made Easier in the Mother Tongue

The AICTE-developed textbooks follow the council’s model curriculum. Each book is carefully designed with clear unit objectives, outcome-based learning components, and practical problem-solving exercises. These features help students better understand concepts in their native language.

“These are high-quality textbooks that make learning easier for students when they study in their mother tongue,” said Prof. Sitharam. He also mentioned that AICTE is using its own deep learning model to speed up the translation process. “Our model can translate a book in just 10 minutes with 80% accuracy. Then, subject experts review and refine the content.”

Importantly, students will not be forced to study in regional languages. The idea is to offer them a choice. “This initiative is especially helpful for students from rural backgrounds who are more comfortable learning in their native language,” Prof. Sitharam explained.

Addressing Employability Concerns

While the initiative is being welcomed, there are concerns about job readiness and industry acceptance. Prof. Sitharam acknowledged these challenges and said the government will need to run awareness campaigns to encourage companies to consider such students. “English often becomes a double burden. Students have to first understand the subject and then struggle with the language. If they grasp the subject well in their language, they will turn out to be better engineers.”

This step by AICTE is expected to empower more students across India by making technical education easier to access and understand.