New Delhi: The Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) exam is likely to be held in regional languages from next year onwards. Started first in English, the exam is currently being held in Hindi and English languages, however, while hearing a case, Madras High Court said that it should be held in regional languages as well.
While the court has allowed the KVPY 2021 to be held in Hindi and English only, it has asked the Centre that the exam be conducted in all regional languages from the next year so that students from such backgrounds are not left behind, according to a report by Live Law.
The Additional Solicitor General (ASG) said that the KVPY was introduced in 1999 but it was in 2009 that the exams began to be conducted in Hindi as well. The Madras HC stayed the conduct of exams on the previously determined date of November 7.
The division bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice PD Audikesavalu has allowed the ASG to file an affidavit by November 15 regarding the feasibility of including regional languages in subsequent exams. The bench also took note of the practical difficulties of revamping the entire process of the exam and conducting it in regional languages.
“Today, the difficulty is that normally the question papers are first prepared in English. Thereafter, experts with knowledge in, say a regional language, and in Science are entrusted to translate the same. Since this is an online computer exam, the software utilized for the examination must also be modified accordingly. This process takes 5-6 months,” the ASG said.
Chief Justice Banerjee said that there is a need to process for inclusion of regional languages in KVPY so that the students from across the country do not face any language barriers, including those from North East India, Rajasthan etc. If it will 5-6 months for the process to be completed then the centre needs to begin with the process, the court said.
The ASG said he will file an affidavit that by the time the KVPY happens next year, proper measures will be taken to conduct the exam in all regional languages in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
The court replied that as long as the centre commits to undertaking “that the talent search exam can be conducted in all regional languages from next year onwards, then there might not be any room to stand in the way. It is not possible to conduct this year’s examination in other Indian languages, hence this year’s process may be permitted to continue.”
The PIL will be heard next Monday after the ASG files an undertaking.
KVPY is conducted for admission to undergraduate science courses such as namely BSc, BS, MSc, etc at IISC Bangalore, IISER, and several other institutes. It also allows fellowship of up to the pre-PhD level to the selected KVPY Fellows.