Kolkata: IIT Kharagpur will offer a four-year Bachelor of Science (BS) in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science in Bengali from the 2026 academic session, announced director Suman Chakraborty during a press meet on Tuesday at the Renaissance 2.0 global summit held at the IIT Kharagpur Research Park.
“We are introducing a BS programme in AI and Data Science from this academic season in Bengali, catering to Bengali-speaking youngsters and aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. It will be placed before the Senate for final approval. This will be an inclusive online course where entrance will not be through JEE Main or Advanced; instead, it will follow a model similar to IIT Madras’s BS programme,” said Chakraborty.
The director clarified that while students will receive a BS degree (equivalent to BTech and BSc) with provision for campus placement, the course is designed with multiple entry and exit points, allowing for certificates and diplomas. “It won’t be a problem to teach in Bengali, though technical terminology will remain in English to ensure global competitiveness,” a faculty member added.
Renaissance 2.0, coinciding with the 75th year of IIT Kharagpur, is a global parliament of thoughts designed to reimagine civilization. The summit is anchored in four pillars: reimagining education, rethinking economic constructs beyond traditional capitalism or socialism, guiding technological evolution through ‘Science with Soul,’ and advancing the vision of ‘One Humanity.’
Director Chakraborty emphasised, “We have reached a stage where a major transformation in education is mandatory — one that prepares students not just as technocrats, but as citizens who build the world. We want to create a framework for a ‘Renaissance in Education’ that integrates technical intelligence with emotional vectors.”
The session was attended by Sukanta Majumdar, Union minister of state for education; Partha S Ghosh, chairman of The Boston Pledge; Madhusudan Chakraborty, former director of IIT Bhubaneswar; Harshvardhan Neotia, chairman of Ambuja Neotia Group; and Padma Bhushan Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty.
