Azim Premji University (APU) on Tuesday unveiled an open access digital repository of academic resources translated from English to Indian languages to make them widely available to students, teachers, teacher trainers, etc., across the country for free. The repository named “Anuvada Sampada” with nearly 2000 academic resources is currently available in Hindi and Kannada.
Launched by APU Vice-Chancellor Indu Prasad, the repository, https://anuvadasampada.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/ aims to address the lack of high-quality academic resources in Indian languages at the graduate and post-graduate levels. Includes select academic resources for graduate programs in education and development, and undergraduate programs in arts, sciences, and diploma courses.
The university is also in the process of applying for copyright permissions from various publishers to expand the number of open access academic readings on the site.
There are selected journal articles, excerpts or full book chapters, podcasts, short films, short lectures and panel discussions related to higher education.
The university stated that it had obtained permissions to translate and digitize the texts from publishers, agencies or individuals to facilitate access as an open source document through the repository.
“The initiative will enable students, scholars and practitioners to use and reuse academic resources in sciences, social sciences, humanities and languages. The repository is also expected to help promote original writing, reading, deliberation and discourse in Hindi and Kannada,” the APU said in a statement.
“Non-availability of academic resources in Indian languages is a major constraint to widening access to education and ensuring inclusion. We believe this initiative will help students engage more deeply with concepts and ideas that are currently only available in English, will encourage nuanced discussions and develop perspectives in diverse contexts,” said Hriday Kant Dewan, who heads the initiative at Azim Premji University.
The university is also in the process of applying for copyright permissions from various publishers to expand the number of open access academic readings on the site.