Google to tie up with NCERT, launch YouTube channels in 29 Indian languages

New Delhi, Dec 9: Tech giant Google on Monday announced a partnership with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to bring quality education to far corners of India. As part of the partnership, NCERT will launch multiple YouTube channels that are aligned to the curriculum of grades 1 to 12, over the coming months.

The channels, covering 29 Indian languages, including Indian Sign Language, will offer educational content in engaging and accessible formats, empowering students, parents, and teachers across the country.

“Learning has always been at the heart of YouTube. And, in India, where accessible education is crucial for unlocking the nation's potential, YouTube can help make learning content more accessible through innovative partnerships, tools, and resources,” Jonathan Katzman, Director of Product Management, YouTube Learning in a Google blog post.

In addition, Google also announced a collaboration with the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning to roll out Credentialled Courses. NPTEL now offers 50 credentialed courses on a diverse range of subjects, from pure sciences and literature to sports psychology and rocket propulsion.

“Through this initiative, a pathway has been created for anyone outside the IIT system to be able to do a course on NPTEL’s YouTube channels and then complete the online certification on the NPTEL-SWAYAM portal and get a certificate from the IITs,” Katzman said. He added more courses will be rolled out in the coming months.

The Google-owned YouTube first rolled out courses in India in 2022 to help creators offer a structured learning experience. In 2024, the company focused on empowering even more creators to develop and share courses, enabling them to reach wider audiences and increase their impact on learners. Further, to aid comprehension it has taken it a step further with the roll out of “Key Concepts”.

“Using AI, we identify concepts covered in a video and may provide definitions from the web of those concepts, across subjects like biology, physics, and chemistry. We surface definitions and images from Google’s Knowledge Graph, based on the video’s transcript and other associated video metadata,” Katzman said.

The online video sharing platform has also introduced Quizzes to help learners apply what they’ve learned. Its YouTube Player for Education is a product designed for learners that improves the way YouTube videos are shown in popular educational tools.

“Our partners are using the YouTube Player for Education to create diverse learning experiences, including interactive lessons, supplemental study, and formative assessment. In India, Google Classroom and edtech companies such as Quizizz and Teachmint have integrated the player into their tools and it is being used in classrooms around the world,” Katzman said.

Earlier this year, YouTube announced the AI Skills House programme, which provides access to Google's flagship AI courses on YouTube, such as Introduction to Generative AI, Introduction to Responsible AI, and Introduction to Large Language Models. These courses, available at no cost, will soon be expanded to 7 Indian languages.