Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Power Education And Research Institute (GPERI) in Mahesana, affiliated with Gujarat Technological University (GTU), will not offer B.E. courses in Gujarati medium in the 2026-27 academic year, after failing to attract even a single student for the option over the last four years.The college had introduced Gujarati-medium B.E. courses in computer, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, at a time when there were moves to expand Gujarati as a medium of instruction in technical and medical education. But the complete absence of enrolments has effectively ended the experiment, GTU officials said.Dr KN Kher, registrar of GTU, said the university and its partners had spent years trying to make Gujarati-medium engineering viable, including translating key textbooks. “On our online portal, we see a lot of traction for the Gujarati textbooks by students, but when it comes to formal studies, they are not ready. The primary reason is the fear that they might not be able to land a good job or pay package,” he said.Education experts also point to the dominance of English across engineering learning materials and classroom practice. Dr MN Patel, former vice chancellor of Gujarat University, said most core resources remain English-first. “While the faculties may also use Gujarati while teaching, the technical words do not translate well in Gujarati. If not used properly, it causes dissonance for the students, and thus Gujarati as a medium of instruction has not gained much traction,” he said.A similar attempt to introduce Gujarati in medical education appears to have stalled as well. A dean of a government-run medical college, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a nine-member committee had been formed and discussions initiated by the state government, but progress did not continue.“But afterwards there is no movement. How would one teach and study names of different parts of heart or various conditions having name in Greek and Latin standardized world over. Thus, it has been three years, but we have not seen a major initiative in this direction,” the official said.The shift also comes amid a broader schooling trend: English-medium education has been expanding, while many Gujarati-medium students increasingly prepare for, and clear, national-level entrance tests such as JEE and NEET to enter top colleges in the state—reinforcing the perception that English proficiency is closely tied to opportunities in higher education and employment.
