Students seeking admission to law courses in Kerala will be able to take the LLB entrance examination in Malayalam or English from the next academic year, following the state government's approval of a bilingual question paper format.
The decision followed a directive from Higher Education Minister Roji M John, based on requests from students and the state's policy of promoting the mother tongue. The change is intended to make the entrance examination more accessible to candidates who are more comfortable with Malayalam.
The proposal gained momentum after Malayalam Aikya Vedi, a state-based organisation, submitted a representation asking the government to make entrance examination questions available in Malayalam. The government has now approved the use of both Malayalam and English question papers for the examination.
English version to prevail in case of discrepancies
The government is considering measures to ensure that questions translated into Malayalam retain the intended meaning, particularly where legal concepts and terminology are involved.
According to the official statement, a panel of legal experts may be constituted to oversee the translation process. The government is also considering the use of software systems to address technical challenges in preparing question papers in two languages.
The examination prospectus will specify that the English version of a question will be treated as authoritative if a discrepancy or ambiguity arises between the English and Malayalam versions. This provision is intended to establish a common reference in cases where the translation could affect how a question is interpreted.
The minister said the bilingual format would make the examination more student-friendly without compromising its quality.
Which law entrance examinations are conducted in Kerala?
The Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE), Kerala, conducts entrance examinations and oversees admissions to several professional courses, including three-year LLB, five-year integrated LLB and LLM programmes. Admissions are conducted through the state's examination and centralised allotment systems.
The new language option is expected to benefit candidates whose schooling has primarily been in Malayalam and who may find it easier to understand questions in their first language. The government has not yet published detailed implementation instructions for the revised format in the sources reviewed.