THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Universities in Kerala are gearing up to conduct examinations in Malayalam for undergraduate and postgraduate students, accepting the UGC directive to conduct examinations in the local language.

Prof Sabu Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of MG and Malayalam Universities, told 'Kerala Kaumudi' that students of all courses, including science subjects, will be allowed to write exams in Malayalam. He also said that those who give the option for Malayalam question papers at the time of exam registration will be given question papers in Malayalam. Dr Mohanan Kunnummal, VC of Kerala and Health Universities, said that the UGC directive will be implemented after studying the academic pros and cons of conducting the examination in Malayalam.

Students can write answers in a mix of Malayalam and English. Not all words must be written in Malayalam. Teachers will be directed to explain the lessons in Malayalam as well so that the students can understand them. Textbooks will be translated into Malayalam as per UGC guidelines. If students are taught in Malayalam and allowed to write answers in Malayalam for exams, they will become more interested in their studies. As a result, the success rate will increase.

Dr Mohanan Kunnummal said that while the civil services exam and NEET for medical admissions can be written in Malayalam, graduate students, who make requests to attend exams in Malayalam, will be allowed to write the exam in Malayalam. The main challenge is that there are no university books in Malayalam. Books should be translated with the help of experts.

Malayalam Varsity for translation

VC Prof. Sabu Thomas said that the Malayalam Varsity has started the process to translate the university books into Malayalam with the help of experts.