GNDU makes Punjabi mandatory alongside English for research

Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar has introduced a new Punjabi-First Education, Research and Governance Policy 2026, making Punjabi (in Gurmukhi script) compulsory along with English for major research submissions such as PhD theses, dissertations, project reports and funded research work. The university says this decision aims to improve accessibility, inclusiveness and regional academic engagement by ensuring that research is available to Punjabi-speaking students, teachers, policymakers and the wider community.

According to Vice-Chancellor Prof. Karamjeet Singh, the move is designed to democratise knowledge and remove language barriers so that research does not remain limited to elite academic circles. He explained that research will be submitted in English (or primary academic language) along with a Punjabi version that accurately reflects the original content and maintains academic quality.

The policy is aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, promoting multilingual education and encouraging the use of regional languages in higher education and research. GNDU plans to provide academic glossaries, writing guides, translation assistance, AI-supported tools and a bilingual digital repository to help scholars prepare Punjabi research documents.

The implementation will happen in phases: doctoral theses and funded research first, followed by master’s dissertations and later other institutional research work. Limited exemptions may apply in highly technical or legally restricted areas, but even then Punjabi summaries will be required. The policy will take effect from the next academic session.