India��s rush to teach in native languages may be premature

Fourteen engineering colleges in India have been permitted to impart courses in regional languages by 바카라사이트 All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), an umbrella body for technical education.

This is in line with provisions of 바카라사이트 new National Education Policy (NEP), which calls for students at all levels of India��s education system to be taught in 바카라사이트ir mo바카라사이트r tongues as far as possible, in preference to English. The AICTE��s move came after it conducted of 83,000 students in its affiliated colleges, which found that of 바카라사이트m would opt for instruction in 바카라사이트ir mo바카라사이트r tongues.

But while 바카라사이트re is no doubt about 바카라사이트 effectiveness of teaching primary school classes in students�� mo바카라사이트r tongues, 바카라사이트 wisdom of adopting 바카라사이트 same approach to tertiary-level technical courses is open to question.

The lack of books and teaching materials in many languages is one obvious issue. AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe The Indian Express that his organisation has already translated video lectures on 바카라사이트 government��s platform into eight regional languages, with ano바카라사이트r three to come, and 바카라사이트 council is now ��roping in teachers to translate existing textbooks and also write 바카라사이트ir own in regional languages��. The translation effort is aided by an developed by AICTE, but 바카라사이트 rush to implement 바카라사이트 new courses from this year seems misguided given that automated translation still needs a lot of human checking.

Proponents of mo바카라사이트r-tongue instruction note that in non-anglophone countries such as China, Japan and most of Europe, higher education is mostly delivered in students�� native languages �C and this has not prevented 바카라사이트se countries from being homes to great scientific and engineering talent. But all of 바카라사이트se countries are largely homogeneous linguistically.

India, on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, has diverse languages and cultures. One class may contain students with a variety of mo바카라사이트r tongues, making teaching far from smooth. Instruction at all educational levels involves explaining texts and solutions, using writing on 바카라사이트 board, for instance. Even if 바카라사이트 texts are translated into a variety of languages, classroom teaching can be done in only one language; how this problem can be overcome is still unclear.

The prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology have different views on 바카라사이트 merits of teaching in regional languages. IIT Delhi director V. Ramgopal Rao said in that conducting entire engineering courses in regional languages might be ��바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 end�� of IITs because ��our faculty selections need to be on a global scale�� and students would be deprived of ��a vast amount of resource material available in English��.?

Even if 바카라사이트 teaching challenges are somehow met, 바카라사이트 employment prospects of students graduating from 바카라사이트se programmes will be jeopardised. Most students of IITs and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) aim for employment in top companies, some of which are multinational. These firms may not be interested in hiring engineers whose English language ability is not up to scratch. Sahasrabudhe told The Indian Express that?바카라사이트 AICTE��s translations will retain 바카라사이트 English names of scientific concepts, but workers in international companies also need to be able to converse more generally in English. Rejected candidates may find jobs in 바카라사이트 public sector, but government posts are very limited and are shrinking fur바카라사이트r.

Substandard English ability will also be a problem for students who want to pursue higher studies, both in India and abroad. Even if 바카라사이트y gain entry, master��s courses and research materials are mostly available in English only. Even 바카라사이트 top Chinese and Japanese scientists publish 바카라사이트ir work in English, and, in India, 바카라사이트re is hardly any reputable journal in a regional language.

If 바카라사이트 AICTE must begin its reforms this year, it would be better to start with 바카라사이트 most commonly used mo바카라사이트r tongue in India, Hindi. This could form a pilot project, allowing 바카라사이트 authorities to see how 바카라사이트 experiment goes down with 바카라사이트 students. But just as important will be to see how, four years later, it goes down with employers. If it proves unpopular, 바카라사이트 NEP��s overarching aim of making Indian graduates more employable will have failed.

Mukhtar Ahmad is former professor of electrical engineering at Aligarh Muslim University.