Ministry of Education Approves Centers of Excellence for 5 Classical Languages

On October 3, 2026, the Ministry of Education approved the establishment of Centers of Excellence across five higher education institutions to promote study, research, preservation, and digitization of classical languages.

Key Highlights

Centers for Five Languages: Dedicated centers will be set up for research and study in Classical Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali, and Prakrit.
Selected Institutions:
- Classical Assamese – Tezpur University
- Bengali – Visva-Bharati University
- Marathi – Deccan College, Pune
- Pali – Central University of Odisha
- Prakrit – Central University of Gujarat
Core Functions: The centers will focus on advanced research, academic scholarship, the preservation and digitization of linguistic and literary resources, and the widespread dissemination of traditional knowledge systems tied to these classical languages.
Regional Academic Ecosystem: These institutions will bolster the regional ecosystem for higher education and research surrounding classical languages in Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Gujarat.