5 Universities to Teach Classical Languages; Ministry of Education Grants Approval
The Ministry of Education has approved the establishment of five Centres of Excellence in the country for Classical Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali, and Prakrit languages. The scope of these centres will extend beyond mere language instruction.
The Ministry of Education has taken a significant step towards preserving India’s ancient languages and their associated literature and knowledge traditions. The Ministry has approved the setting up of five Centres of Excellence for Classical Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali, and Prakrit. These centres will not limit themselves to teaching the languages; they will also facilitate research, the preservation and digitization of ancient literature and manuscripts, and efforts to share the heritage of these languages with a wider audience.
Following the approval granted by the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education, these five centres will be established at prominent universities and higher education institutions across various states. The objective is to create a robust academic framework for research and scholarly study of these languages.
Institutions Selected for Centres of Excellence
Classical Assamese – Tezpur University, Assam
Classical Bengali – Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal
Classical Marathi – Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune, Maharashtra
Classical Pali – Central University of Odisha, Odisha
Classical Prakrit – Central University of Gujarat, Gujarat
Scope of Work: From Research to Digitization
According to the Ministry of Education, these Centres of Excellence will provide an institutional platform for advanced research, scholarly work, and academic activities related to the respective classical languages. Work will also be undertaken regarding the documentation, preservation, and digitization of ancient literature, documents, and manuscripts associated with these languages. This initiative will help safeguard ancient written heritage while facilitating easy access to these resources for students, researchers, and scholars. These centers will also focus on taking the literary, linguistic, and knowledge traditions associated with classical languages to the public on a large scale.
Recognition granted to five languages in 2024
Following the conferral of ‘Classical Language’ status upon these five languages, dedicated institutional centers are now being established for them. In October 2024, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali were granted Classical Language status, bringing the total number of such languages in India to 11. Previously, Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia had already received this recognition. Criteria for Classical Language status include ancient history, an independent literary tradition, and a long-standing, rich written and knowledge tradition.
Odisha CM expresses happiness
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has expressed happiness over the approval of a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for Classical Pali at the Central University of Odisha. Describing this as a matter of pride for the state, he stated that it would boost the study, preservation, and promotion of the Pali language.