Engineering colleges have students from varied backgro unds who have studied in regional language mediums. ring courses in regional language, the communication barrier needs to be addressed in college. Since Engineering terms can not be translated, efforts are being made to help all of them un derstand the lectures.IIT Kanpur has recently initiated the Shi vani centre for Nurture and reintegration of Hindi and other In dían languages.
An informal survey conducted by an IIT Kanpur student in November 2019, confirmed around 25% of the sample group of students faced difficulty in understanding lectures in English, says Kantesh Balani, professor (Material Science and Engine ering) and coordinator for Shivani Centre.
Vaijayanthi Sarma, associate professor, IIT Bombay, says, "Typically, about 6-10% of the students entering the UG class require langua ge assistance. The number however may varyevery year." Naresh Kumar BG, princi pal, Maharaja In stitute of Techno logy, Mysore, sa ys that while many students feel comfortable studying in the local language, they are not rea dy to do an Engi neering course in it as they feel this will limit their options. "At IIT Bombay, around 8-10% of the first-year students need English language courses conducted by British Council," tells Sar ma. In 2019, the institute started a Language Re sources and Writing Centre to help students address their individual language needs via workshops, webinars, adds Sarma. Also, stu dents in the preparatory course receive one ye ar of English instruction in addition to the core subjects. HEIs beyond Engineering institutes are also making efforts. Muthukumar, HOD, Poli tical Science, Presidency College, Chennai, sa ys, "My department has a 50:50 ratio of stu dents from Tamil and English medium schools. While lectures are offered in both the langua ges, we have also translated most relevant bo oks from English into Tamil. Only the PG course lectures are offered in English. Even then, stu dents have the freedom to attempt exams in the language of their choice."
Published on :- Times of India
Date :- 21 02 2022
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