In 2024–25, the Government of Chhattisgarh introduced a bold policy to offer MBBS education in Hindi medium, aiming to remove linguistic barriers for aspiring doctors from Hindi-speaking and rural communities. However, the 2025–26 academic year witnessed a stunning outcome — zero students enrolled in the Chhattisgarh Hindi Medium MBBS program, leading to the suspension of these classes altogether.
1. Background: The Vision Behind Hindi‑Medium MBBS in Chhattisgarh
The essential aim of the Hindi-medium MBBS initiative was to democratize medical education by enabling students more comfortable with Hindi than English to pursue a medical degree without facing language hurdles. The state’s plan was part of a broader effort to support rural learners and first-generation college students — groups that often struggle with English-medium instruction despite having strong academic potential. However, despite these intentions, the Chhattisgarh Hindi Medium MBBS model failed to attract even a single applicant in 2025–26, raising serious questions about student confidence and career prospects.
However, the 2025–26 academic year brought an unexpected twist: not a single student opted for the Hindi‑medium MBBS course across all medical colleges in the state.
2. Zero Enrollment: What Really Happened?
Chhattisgarh has multiple medical colleges, both government and private, offering roughly around 2,000 MBBS seats. These seats are typically filled through counseling based on NEET-UG performance. However, when it came to the Hindi-medium option, the results were stark — zero students chose the Hindi medium for 2025–26. This highlighted a major setback for the Chhattisgarh Hindi Medium MBBS initiative, which failed to attract even a single applicant during the admission cycle.
Last year, only a handful of students had initially opted for the Hindi medium, but that enthusiasm diminished quickly, leading to a complete fall in enrollment this year. In response, authorities halted Hindi-medium classes altogether due to lack of demand. This decline further signaled the weakening acceptance of the Chhattisgarh Hindi Medium MBBS format, which struggled to sustain student interest or confidence.
3. Root Causes: Why Students Shunned the Hindi‑Medium Option
Dominance of English in Medical Education
The most significant factor behind the zero enrollment was the overwhelming dominance of English in medical terminology, textbooks, exams, and professional practice. Students preparing for MBBS are aware that even if they graduate in Hindi, postgraduate entrance exams, internships, international certifications, and medical research primarily use English. This creates a strong incentive to study in English for future competitiveness, making the Chhattisgarh Hindi Medium MBBS option far less appealing for students aiming for long-term medical careers.
Difficulty With Hindi Medical Vocabulary
Students and educators reported that translated Hindi medical terms often lack standardization and clarity. In many cases, the Hindi technical terms are lengthier or have multiple synonyms, making them harder to understand compared to succinct English terminology. These inconsistencies can confuse learners and slow down comprehension, especially in complex subjects such as anatomy, pathology, and pharmacology. As a result, many felt that studying through the Chhattisgarh Hindi Medium MBBS route would create additional learning hurdles rather than easing them.
Career Concerns and Competitive Edge
Another strong reason behind the lack of interest was the fear of career setback. Many students voiced that studying in Hindi might limit their ability to perform well in national competitive exams after MBBS, such as NEET-PG and various fellowships, which are conducted exclusively in English. As a result, even students from Hindi-medium backgrounds chose to continue in English to keep their options open. This trend shows why the Chhattisgarh Hindi Medium MBBS program struggled to attract students, and why many aspirants prioritize English-medium study over the Chhattisgarh Hindi Medium MBBS option. Ultimately, the Chhattisgarh Hindi Medium MBBS initiative failed to gain traction because of these career and exam-related concerns.
Limited Awareness and Standardized Support
Although the government made Hindi literature and textbooks available for the course, critics argue that there was insufficient awareness among students about how a Hindi curriculum would translate into exams, career progression, or academic support. Without clear institutional support mechanisms — such as faculty trained to teach in Hindi medical terminology and standardized Hindi medical dictionaries — students lacked confidence in the policy’s utility and sustainability.
Lack of Tangible Incentives
Unlike some education reforms that offer scholarships or defined career benefits, the Hindi‑medium MBBS option did not come with quantifiable incentives. Without perks or guarantees related to future exams or placements, many students preferred sticking with the tradition and global standard of English medium instruction.
4. Expert and Official Reactions
Medical Community Reactions
The reaction from the medical community was largely cautious. Some senior medical professionals described the Hindi‑medium experiment as premature and impractical, highlighting the entrenched role of English in science and medical research. These experts believe that effective reform requires structured support, including standardized medical lexicons in Hindi and bilingual teaching methods.
Others argued that the initiative was well‑intentioned but lacked strategic implementation — for example, pilot studies, detailed student counseling, and capacity building among faculty.
Government Statements
State officials maintained that the policy was optional, not mandatory, and was merely designed to provide students with choice. They emphasized that Hindi textbooks had been provided, and the decision to choose the medium ultimately lay with students themselves.
However, critics noted that without an awareness campaign that clearly explained how Hindi medium would align with national exams, post-graduation prospects, and career mobility, most students were bound to default to English.
5. Political Debate and Public Discourse
The zero enrollment outcome sparked debate in political circles and the media. Leaders from opposition parties criticized the government’s decision as hasty and inadequately planned, arguing that it failed to consider ground realities of medical training and student aspirations. They viewed the policy more as a symbolic gesture than a practical reform.
Proponents from the ruling party defended the policy by stating that it was meant to eliminate language barriers and encourage inclusivity. They argued that language should not be seen as an impediment but students needed to make informed choices.
These contrasting viewpoints reflect broader tensions between regional identity, cultural pride, and pragmatic career considerations in education policy.
6. Comparative Perspectives: Regional Language Education Elsewhere
Chhattisgarh’s experience is part of a larger national conversation on regional languages in professional education. Similar initiatives in other states have faced mixed success:
- Some students in neighboring states opted for regional-medium MBBS on a very limited scale, suggesting some level of interest but not overwhelming demand.
- Efforts to offer professional courses in regional languages, including engineering and technical subjects, also saw limited uptake.
These cases underscore that regional language professional education faces inherent challenges in integrating with standardized, globally competitive frameworks that are largely English-based.
7. Student Voices: Perspectives From the Ground
Interviews and anecdotal responses from students reveal:
- Many said that even if they were comfortable in Hindi academically, they found English better aligned with competitive exams and medical literature.
- Some expressed that Hindi medical texts, while helpful for conceptual understanding, could complicate their preparation for national-level postgraduate exams.
- Others mentioned that the absence of well-organized bilingual preparatory support limited their confidence to choose Hindi medium.
These student perspectives reveal that comfort with a language does not automatically translate into preference when career outcomes and exam performance are at stake.
8. Policy Implications: What Does Zero Enrollment Signal?
Re-evaluating Language Reform Approaches
The zero enrollment phenomenon suggests that simply offering regional language instruction without robust structural support is unlikely to succeed in professional education domains dominated by English. Policymakers need to rethink whether an all-out switch to Hindi medium is practical or whether hybrid bilingual models might be more effective.
Need for Standardized Medical Lexicons in Hindi
One of the key barriers was the lack of standardized, universally accepted medical terminology in Hindi. Without consistent vocabulary, textbooks and teaching materials vary, which erodes student trust in the medium as academically credible.
Focus on Student Career Pathways
Policymakers must align language reforms with clear career trajectories — for instance, clarifying whether Hindi-educated students will be competitive for postgraduate exams and research opportunities. Without that clarity, aspirants will continue to choose English to safeguard future prospects.
Importance of Teacher Training and Institutional Support
Offering medical education in Hindi requires extensive faculty training, development of standardized curriculum resources, and continuous evaluation frameworks. These supports were not sufficiently visible in Chhattisgarh’s implementation.
9. Broader Reflections on Language, Identity, and Education
This episode in Chhattisgarh raises larger questions about language policy in Indian education. Hindi remains one of India’s most widely spoken languages. However, the global and national academic ecosystem — especially in STEM and medicine — is deeply anchored in English. Balancing cultural identity with academic competitiveness is a delicate policy challenge.
While regional language instruction can enhance accessibility, it must be thoughtfully integrated with mechanisms that ensure graduates remain fully competitive in broader academic and professional arenas.
10. Lessons Learned and Recommendations for Future Reform
Pilot Testing Before Full Implementation
Before rolling out language reforms at scale, pilot programs with thorough evaluation and feedback loops could help refine approaches and address gaps.
Bilingual Curriculum Development
Offering parallel bilingual instruction — in both Hindi and English — could ease students into professional terminology and lessen apprehension about career risks.
Stakeholder Engagement
Involving students, educators, medical professionals, and language experts in the design of regional language programs can create curricula that are practical, credible, and aligned with real needs.
Alignment With Career Pathways
Explicit mapping showing how a Hindi-educated doctor can pursue postgraduate opportunities, research, and international pathways may reassure students that they are not sacrificing future opportunities.
Students fear that studying in Hindi could reduce their performance in competitive exams and limit postgraduate opportunities. NEET PG.
In 2024–25, the Government of Chhattisgarh introduced a policy to offer MBBS education in Hindi medium, aiming to remove linguistic barriers for aspiring doctors from Hindi‑speaking and rural communities. According to our coverage on education policy trends, multilingual approaches are gaining attention nationwide.
