In a significant move to promote education in regional languages, the political science department at Patna University (PU) recently concluded a major five-day terminology workshop. The event, held under the auspices of the Government of India's Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT), focused on standardizing academic terms in the Maithili language.
Workshop Reviews Thousands of Maithili Terms
The intensive workshop, which wrapped up on Friday, achieved a substantial milestone. Participants meticulously reviewed approximately 2,500 terms related to political science and an additional 1,400 terms connected to Indian traditional knowledge. The primary goal was to develop standardized, accurate translations for complex academic concepts, making them accessible to Maithili-speaking students and scholars.
Building Glossaries for the Future
Dr. Seema Prasad, the head of the political science department, explained the broader mission. She stated that the CSTT is actively engaged in developing standardized terminology in Hindi and all Indian languages across various academic fields. This workshop was a key part of that national effort.
"In this sequence, the fundamental glossary of political science (English-Hindi-Maithili) and the Indian knowledge and tradition glossary (Sanskrit-Maithili) are being developed and standardized in the Maithili language," Dr. Prasad said.
Impact on Accessible and Employment-Oriented Education
The initiative is seen as a crucial step in making higher education more inclusive and effective. By creating a robust academic vocabulary in Maithili, the barriers for students who are more proficient in their mother tongue can be lowered.
Dr. Prasad emphasized the practical benefits, noting, "This initiative will help make higher education more accessible, effective, and employment-oriented." She further highlighted that the newly developed and vetted terminology will prove "extremely useful for teachers and research scholars working in Hindi and Maithili."
The workshop's outcomes are expected to directly aid in:
- Creating standardized textbooks and reference materials in Maithili.
- Enabling deeper research and discourse in political science using the vernacular language.
- Preserving and integrating Indian traditional knowledge into modern academic frameworks.
- Empowering local educators and reducing dependency on English-language resources.
This effort at Patna University underscores a growing national movement to strengthen the ecosystem for Indian language medium education, particularly in higher studies and research.
