Guru Nanak Dev University makes Punjabi mandatory alongside English for PhD theses, research work

CHANDIGARH: Amritsar-based Guru Nanak Dev University on Wednesday said that following the adoption of a new policy, it will now require major research works to be submitted in Punjabi language, as well as English. The university said it has taken the historic and people-centric step by approving the Punjabi-First Education, Research and Governance Policy 2026 to make knowledge more accessible to people of the state.

Karamjeet Singh, vice-chancellor of the university, said the policy is aimed at reconnecting higher education with society and the university with the language of their people.

"The Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) will now require that major research work -- such as PhD theses, dissertations, project reports and funded research outputs -- be submitted both in the primary academic language (usually English) and in Punjabi (Gurmukhi)," he said in a statement.

The intent is simple yet powerful, he said, adding that knowledge created in Punjab should be accessible not only to the global academic world, but also to Punjabi-speaking students, teachers, parents, policymakers and citizens.

The university has clarified that Punjabi submissions will not be symbolic or ceremonial but academically sound, faithful to the original research and evaluated for clarity and accuracy, he said.

While research quality will continue to be judged primarily in the main submission language, the Punjabi version will ensure that ideas, innovations and findings do not remain locked behind language barriers, he said. For many students -- especially from rural and border areas and first-generation backgrounds -- thinking and expressing ideas in Punjabi comes naturally, the VC said.

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Punjabi as medium of research

"This policy empowers them to engage more deeply with research while retaining national and international mobility," he added. For Punjab, the impact is far-reaching.

"Research on agriculture, health, education, law, environment, entrepreneurship and society will now be available in Punjabi, enabling wider public understanding, better policymaking and faster knowledge transfer to schools, startups, institutions and communities," the VC said.

Punjabi is thus positioned not only as a language of culture, but as a language of science, innovation and public good, Singh said. "To ensure rigour and consistency, GNDU will establish strong institutional support, including department-wise Punjabi academic glossaries, a Punjabi academic writing and citation guide, a dedicated Punjabi Academic Support Unit for terminology and translation assistance and a bilingual digital repository archiving research in both languages," he said.

This initiative strongly reflects the spirit of the National Education Policy 2020, which advocates multilingualism, mother-tongue education and removal of language barriers in higher education, according to Singh.

By institutionalising bilingual research, GNDU is strengthening intercultural understanding and reaffirming the role of public universities as bridges between knowledge and society, he said. The policy will come into force from the next academic session.