Engineering and medical colleges do little to help such students cope with the subjects that are largely taught in English
It has only been a year since newspapers carried his photo, predicting he would soon fulfil his dream of becoming a software designer in a big company, but Prabhakar Rajan (name changed), a student of the College of Engineering Guindy, from Salem, who secured a State rank in class XII, is not keen on talking about those times now.
“I often don't even understand the question in an examination. I have memorised all these programs but I will forget them in a week,” says the computer engineering student. His notebook is filled with questions which have cross marks next to them — ‘write a program that creates a palindrome' or ‘create a graphic with a pendulum that strikes after an hour's interval and says, ‘Hello'.' He plans to ask friends for their meaning.
“I topped in English in my school. But here, there are no ‘paper patterns' or important questions. Teachers help you if you approach them, but I can't do that every day,” says the second-year student.
For students like him, the first few months of engineering education are nothing short of a maze. Even As Anna University boasts of an increasing number of students from Tamil medium schools joining its courses, its students are facing increasing difficulties in understanding and clearing exams without arrears piling up.
Second-year engineering students of a college here say almost 50 per cent of the class comprises students from Tamil medium schools. Surprisingly, most students face maximum difficulty with mathematics that is integral to engineering, at least for the first two years. “Theta, differentiation, integrals, probability – getting used to these terms takes a long time. We understand the concepts, but it takes a long time to register symbols and formulae. In exams, we lose out on speed itself,” says Anivar Kannan, a third-year student. “Even those who speak English fail in mathematics but they write the theorems or explanations and get some marks.”
Besides, digital signal processing and subjects that involve mathematics also end up being difficult as do those with theory. “It is okay with mechanical and civil subjects and those with diagrams and flowcharts. With some diagrams, we write a little to get pass marks,” says Gunaskaran, a third-year engineering student.
There were no bridge courses in the first year and that made it all the more difficult. In the second year, these students had a 15-day course wherein the basics of engineering were taught. “Still, it is difficult. Some lecturers motivate us, but others tend to be rude,” says a student of mechanical engineering who still has a few papers to clear.
Two years ago, Anna University started offering civil and mechanical engineering in Tamil medium too. Both streams have 60 students each, mostly hailing from rural areas. Ganesh, a first year student says, “I had 87 per cent in class XII but I joined Tamil medium because I didn't want to fail. I am scared of reading English. Many of my school friends who are studying courses in English are getting arrears every year,” he says.
“But reading from the few available Tamil books is very difficult so we entirely depend on photocopied material. The basics of visai (force), tiribu (stress) and thagaivu (strain) are easier to comprehend, but when it comes to larger concepts, Tamil words become difficult. But I can't write or learn in English because I just don't get the concepts and depend on my friends' understanding of it.”
Professors handling these courses explain everything in English and Tamil and the students can write exams in either of the languages, he says, adding, “Most students prefer the English courses over these mainly because there is no use, I think. Professors have already warned us that companies might not take us,” the student says.
Despite private engineering colleges' claims that they offer bridge courses, spoken English classes and facilities such as language laboratories, students from rural backgrounds have only their teachers for support, particularly in the first year. The issue assumes significance as 68 per cent of students who joined engineering education in 2011-12 came from Tamil medium schools.
S. P. Dhanavel, head, English department, Anna University says that the Tamil medium students who come from families that watch English news sometimes, or have access to a library card or even a good English teacher in school, tend to do better than many others. “Given that many here come from very modest backgrounds, they don't relish the concept of leisure that can be used to read. Their vocabulary is limited to their course, which limits their sentence-making abilities as well.”
“While some work really hard, to learn English others fail to realise that they cannot avoid a subject they have to learn their entire course in. Also, they memorise everything possible without understanding. And so, they don't relate to the subject at all, he adds.
The scenario is no different when it comes to medical education. Aravind Santosh, a first-year student of the Madras Medical College (MMC), feels the problem lies in the school system in the State that encourages rote learning and never bothers to teach students any concepts. Most Tamil medium students find it difficult to cope with the English language as the text books prescribed for medical education are usually of very high standards, he says.
“You cannot say that they lack talent. But ‘medical English' is tough and without help from their classmates and teachers it might be really difficult. One year is not adequate for them to learn the language and the subject,” Aravind says. This is true in most cases.
For Prabhakar, studying three theory subjects in computer engineering, two application-oriented ones and clearing four earlier arrears, all in a span of four months is a huge task.
“Sometimes, I feel as if attending class is a waste of time, not because the teaching is bad, but because I don't understand anything,” he says.
Even as Anna University, Chennai, is in the process of fashioning a new curriculum for engineering education from the academic year 2012-13, senior professors at the university suggest a system that is student-friendly and industry-oriented.
Robert Bellarmine, former English Studies Officer, British Council (south India) says, most bridge courses are sympathetic to learners but not empathetic to them. They are based on a ‘something is better than nothing,' approach which does not help, he says. “You have to motivate the learners too, and provide them with accessible translations. Knowing a few English words is not enough to complete engineering. Both teachers and students need to know that.”
(With inputs from B. Kolappan)
Keywords: Tamil medium education, professional colleges
To Mr Chandramouli, Tamil words should be written in Tamil and English words should be written in English. It is easy to use English words in spoken Tamil form. But disaster happens when you try to transliterate every English word in written form. You quoted the example password: closest Tamil equivalent is paassverdu; how about more technical words: "Totem pole" (terminology in Electronics field) would read to mean "like a garden" which will totally confuse the reader. Reading a material full of transliterated words renders it almost unreadable.That is why English words should be represented in English script and translations into Tamil must be standardized. China was the first Asian country to standardized all their terminology and they even standardized the names used for chemical elements. They use English words side by side but always use their native words for cross reference.The world now know China is No.1 in electronics,ship building, civil engg. and several other areas.
To shiv, it is your choice if you wish to go to North India and stuggle.
To Arvind, Hindi is not our national language. It is another regional language of India. There is no need to impose other state language on everyone in TN, people can study if they wish. Today, more North Indians are coming to Tamil nadu, So Study of Tamil should be must in Tamil Nadu, including CBSE schools.
All the problems by Tamil medium students are due to lack of standardization of technical terms. Tamil medium education is the most powerful means to disseminate technical education. But the way it is done in Tamil Nadu, is terrible. Tamil terms of corresponding English terms should be standardized. If China, Korea, Japan, France etc are successful,is that they have a body set up to standardize technical words. They are more advanced than "English" countries. They use English terms along with the standardized terminology in their respective languages. Take Tamil medium book in school and Tamil medium book in college, for the same English words, the Tamil words are different. Take a Std XII Tamil Physics book and a Std XII Tamil Maths books, again the same English word has different Tamil words. Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Programming should be introduced much earlier. Why not at Std II or III, instead of Std IX or X? Engineering should be first of all made available in Tamil medium too.
Rajaji was a visionary. The three language formula would have ensured that this problem would have never occurred. Dear late Mr.C.N.Annadurai, "Engum Tamizh, Edhilum Tamizh" naa unga per vecha college la indha gadhi thaan.
Why does the article confuse between knowledge and the medium of
instruction? Most of the issues pointed out here, like emphasis on
rote learning, lack of quality books etc. are real problems to solve,
but have little to do with the medium of instruction. Also, the
repeated mention of mathematics in this context is quite surprising.
It says Tamil medium instructed students don't find it easy to use
math symbols. Greek symbols are going to be the same for both English
medium and Tamil medium, no? Again, mentioning medical education in
this context can't be more wrong. Medicine is full of Greek and Latin
terms, therefore giving no particular advantage to either medium.
Also, in order to practice locally, they are encouraged to learn Tamil
terms actually!
I am so glad to see we are beginning to have these conversations about
learning vernacular languages vis a vis English! Vernacular languages
are very important to raise the standard of living in our societies.
They are important for providing basic information, e.g. in government
offices, banks and hospitals, so that all citizens can avail of a
minimum level of services. English is important for higher learning and
is therefore also important as this article highlights. Our skewed
society has ensured that those in the upper classes who speak only
English are unaffected even though many are increasingly uncomfortable
in vernacular languages. This is what is creating the strange situation
that makes English even more important than it need be. We need laws
that ensure that most citizens are bilingual at least, and trilingual if
possible.
A bit of (my) ancient history is pertinent: After SSLC in a Tamil medium school (KGS, Srivaikuntam), I did not find the subsequent English medium education (PUC at St. Xavier's college, Palayamkottai, B.Tech at IIT Madras) particularly difficult. A debt of gratitude is due to my English teachers in the Tamil medium school, especially the head master Mr. Somasundaram Pillai (may his soul rest in peace).
Now for these youngsters: First of all, take great pride in your Tamil medium education, but make a sincere effort to learn English. Say to yourself, if that Srinivasan fellow from a small town in Tirunelveli could do it, so can I!
Educators: Why not, as other commenters here have hinted at, set up Intensive English Language Institutes (as done in American universities for otherwise bright students from countries like China who are not well-versed in English), and make these Tamil medium students attend such IELIs in parallel with or prior to their undergraduate studies?
The world of tomorrow belongs to information technology. The langue of
information technology is English. Computer languages, the languages used to
control computers, derive from English! Ruby, a programming language from
Japan, is based entirely in English! (Ruby is becoming the de-facto language for
programming web applications.)
India can no longer remain an IT giant if we ignore English. Even China, which has
no need for English, as its strength is in manufacturing, is pushing its students to
learn English. In India, we have politicians who prevent poor rural student from
learning English or obtaining skills like critical thinking, problem solving,
comprehension etc by dumbing down the curricula and forcing rote learning. On
the other hand, these very politicians send their own kids to the likes of Oxford
and Harvard. We need to tackle these issues head on. We need a Hazare for
education!
Continued as post 4. Like Alagiri and stalin Paul's son Pierre is a
thug, cheat and a looter. For over 10 years the creole issue has been
made a sensitive one like tamij in TN. Children entering high school
are found not to be able to use the French language properly as all
subjects are taught in that medium only! By hook or crook the same
children reach the college level! Here they could not cope up with so
they discontinued crating a huge unemployment problem! The Government
and big private establishments selected only the elite french fluent
students who naturally are not from the poor of the society! With the vulgarization of internet the children themselves exploded and shut the
political exploitation! They insisted their parents at home to speak in
French and made the teacher to first teach them the language before the
very syllabus! This delayed even by a year the completion of the
syllabus! Students made the Educational system to ply and extend!
Continuation and end as post 5
Continued post 3. Added to this are the different versions of creole as practiced in nearby Mauritius, Seychelles and other creole speaking
countries. Nothing in common; nothing can be made common! In this
context, politicians local from Reunion exploited this sensitive issue
for vote bank politics. Here again a similarity can be drawn. There is
an unscrupulous patriarch called Paul VERGES of the local communist
party who is the local Karunanidhi! His PCR party is DMK. He plundered
the wealth of thlike the daughter of the othere people like the other!
He is of the same age as the other. His son did and does corruption and
went to prison. He made his children to study English and French in
France and the US like the other! Nevertheless he advocated the usage
of creole like the other who imposed tamij only for others! Like the TN
jackal the Reunion old rat was kicked out of power in the last
election! But still he tries to wag his tail like the other! continued
as post 4
Continued post 2. The children of Reunion face similar problems as the
children from the tamijh medium schools in TN. The average Reunionnais
speaks creole at home. Especially the kinder garden kids who are taught
in French medium at schools. Since the children see for the first time
a change in language from what they speak at home many fidn it
difficult to adapt! The local politics-oriented-politicians rather
defend the use of creole in education and has even succeeded in getting
introduced the teaching degree in French education system called CAPES
which is equivalent to B.ED / M.ED in Creole! For this purpose a
special teams were constituted even to create the the creole
grammar,alphabets etc.., the practical difficulty ridiculed the very
initiators of this wonderful idea! The main practical problem is that
France has over seas territories called Guyane, Guadeloupe, Martinique,
St Pierre et Miquelin where each place has its own Creole! Continued as
post 3
Let me explain a similar plight of students in a foreign land! Reunion
Island is an overseas department of France located on the Indian Ocean
at 30 minutes flight from Mauritius. Reunion is a part of France,
therefore, French in all aspects. The island has a population of about
800 thousand people off which, the fore father of about 40% were
brought in as bonded laborers some 300 years from the coast of malabar
adjoining Kerala and TN; similarly people were bought in from China,
Africa nd else where. Today's generation is the 5th generation who have
no connection at all with their fore-fathers' countries! The law of
land in French. it's a part of Europe and Euro is the currency. The
mother tongue is called creole which a mixture of french and words with
bizzare pronunciation; it is not a language and is a dialect so there
is no grammar and no alphabets of its own!The education system is same
as what is practiced in main land France!Continued in following post 2
I love my mother tongue, Tamil. But I can't stand Tamil words like 'Kadavu Chol' for well known 'Password'.
Practice, daily reading of Hindu or other leading English newspapers, reading books, listening to good English programs in TV daily and more importantly the instinct to succeed in learning English are the best tools for a student from Tamil Medium to master the English skills.
After studying 12 years of schooling in Tamil Medium, I was able to overcome this difficulty and was very successful in my career only because of the above tools and the instinct to succeed.
Don't give up students! Yes you can!
this is not the matter of adopting english words into indian
languages. this is a matter of including english language in school
curriculum +1 , +2 should be in english medium only.of course hindi
tamil malayalam telugu kannad etc are great classical languages. but
as the world is globalised day by day and every countries accepted
english as a medium of communication we should rebuild the school
curriculum.students are not going to become vairamuthu or something
like that they are going to compete with other parts of the world.the
world changes.either change with it or it will change us all.
It's surprising that how these students passed their X and XII english exams because it is compulsory subject in all boards. if they can't frame a sentence properly that means the education board has been wrong in passing these students in English exams.it's a known fact that that Tamil nadu board gives excessive good marks to their students.even an average student gets 92-93 %. By giving excessive marks in school exams they are not helping students rather allowing students to live in a fool's paradise.It's OK have to have regional language pride on one hand. but science and maths cannot be complete without English. how will these future engineers and scientists collaborate with scientists in other parts of the world? by default a student will learn his native tongue . but can't a student know at least one more language.?? Just one more language other than his mother tongue.Besides the govt should compulsorily teach students english right from the primary classes.
Only vested interests (politicians, academicians..)are bent upon pushing tamil medium in professional education, no matter who suffer! Not many organizations of repute will hire tamil medium grads in engineering, architecture, medicine or even accountancy. Students pursue higher education to increase job prospects.
I had my school education in tamil medium and from remote villages. The PUC course with all subjects taught in the English language was a bit difficult and only during the first semester! With confidence and hard efforts, not only I could manage well in my studies but topped my class and batch in science and engineering.
Indian system cannot be compared with Russian, Korean, German. We can take a cue from Singapore where the medium of instruction is only English, though the city state population comprises mostly chinese, malay and indians!
Tamil is a great language from the linguistic standpoint. The views of Mr. Srinivas are very apt.
It is time to act and correct!
English should be the medium for study in Engineering and Medical Colleges. Otherwise young guns will struggle once they face the big crowd of professionals. English is the unofficial medium for conversing through out the world and its a necessity once you are in job.
This underlines that any student should be able to write, understand and converse in English by 12th Std. That means its not the Professional course that needs a change, but teaching at school. Teaching English is a must till 12th, also Hindi too.
Solution is simple.A familiaration course in English and Tamil need be conducted for those tamil medium students who have chosen engineering and medicine to study in english for a year.This will enable them to get attuned to the technicalities of the subjects chosen by them and help shed their fear.Another point to be considered,English to be studied as additional subject from 8th std.those who apsire to pursue their higher studies in english.
Tamil and English,both shoud be studied by all students from the begining who aspire to pursue their studies at the university level.Study of Tamil and English need to be encouraged mto attain minimum prociency in engineering and medicine.Teachers should not be mere job holders. Students should not be mere job seekers.
This article is eye opener for all the politicians who make big hue and cry for studying technical subjects in tamil for their own political gains. They forget that still we have not developed the tamil language in technical subjects like Chinese,japanise and Russian languages.In the name of promoting tamil language they underscored the importance of English language.As a result students studied in english medium have upper hand over the others and have bright future.As majority of student community prefer to opt for engineering and medical courses after their schooling it is high time
english language is given more importance and sufficiently taught at school level
For the long term success and prosperity of Engineering & Medical students in market place, they should have a good command of English by the time they finish up XII std.education. Emphasizing English in high school & higher sec. school is important. Also, using English words in Tamil language will help Tamil language as was done in German, French language, etc., Also, students in schools & colleges should be encouraged to read, write & speak in English with special classes offered in educational institutions.Teachers & professors should be well trained in English too--- with more teaching/ learning aids like books, TV programs, videos, radio programs available for students in rural areas too.
I felt sad for the tamil medium students who had been sold a short end by the language fanatics and the deceiving khazhagams.Politicians especially in tamilnadu especially the DMK is responsible for this plight.They cleverly dumped tamil students in corporation schools where as all their children study in the best of english medium schools.Now these students should realise who has made their life miserable and ensure that DMK and other khazhagams are not voted back to power unless they incorporate strictly 3 language policy in schools.I am also a victim of these mediocre people by not learning hindi in my young age and I struggle whenever I go to other states especially north.
As suggested by Ayyappa , Tamil medium students should have one year for them to learn the language and technical terms involved in engineering before learning their core subjects and it is better if school teachers encourage students to write equivalent English words in brackets near tamil words like "visai" (force).I completed my UG in CEG and I did my schooling in Tamil stream.Even though I struggled a little bit , unlike others I could manage after 2 semesters since my school teachers tend to take combined classes with English medium students when I done my schooling.And, help of friends is really important for first 2 semesters and I have seen people dropped out of my class due to their language difficulty.In CEG there is not much interaction between senior juniors and hence no one would be like mentors.I think they should introduce mentor system like final year students should help first years.
I would like to share my own experience. I am a Tamil medium student right from my schooling & upto 10th std I used to write some English words pronunciation in Tamil and used to memorize. Then I have joined Diploma where the medium of teaching is in English & the first 6months are horrible for me to cope up. Even though I was the class first upto 10th, I was feeling that I could not succeed in this education, But My teachers and friends encouraged me to cope up. It is the teachers and the associated friends encouragement and the individuals own urge & hard work to overcome this change is a must. At the end of 1st year I came 1st in my class and that boosted my overall my self confidence that I can succeed in engg. Then I came batch first in Diploma & continued my BE-course as well and pass out with distinction and now working in a engg MNC. So It is the Individual aspirations and the support of others one to come up & not the language alone decides. Don't loose hope hard work only pays.
It is very clear the students from Govt school and Rural School, They learn how to write a leave letter insixth std. Where is the Flaw do not blame any politician, They never say English the may say no need Hindi.
The thing is no govt school have Library in the primary school level. Let two period (90 Minutes) per week for reading books and news paper in English. I am sure this will greate better improvement.
Our People do not want Library. Belive me it is not Joke It happened to me My son from 8std told me in thirupathi He prayed lord not to close ANNA LIBRARY. I was shocked on hearing that Pl as a parent understand your kids alow them to read than watch the TV.
The problem is that with the unregulated spread of educational and
professional coaching institutions, there is little oversight in
validating the institutions or the issued certificates. The media
certainly does not help with the broadcast of popular programs where
Tamil is spoken liberally mixed with doses of ungrammatical and
erroneous English phrases. Several persons have claimed to have
advanced graduate degrees from English-language institutions but still
cannot express themselves properly in English at a basic level.
Ideally, students should be taught to speak English properly and speak
Tamil properly without mixing the two languages. In reality, Tamglish
is the norm for all the efforts of the chauvinistic Tamil standard-
bearers over the past several decades.
I want to share my experience in this regard. I also studied in Tamil
medium till SSLC (XI Std) from rural schools. I attended a quiz
competitions held in a famous school in Trichy in the year 1975. One of the questions was "What is the short word (acronym) to remember all the colors of the spectrum?"- Being a Tamil medium student, I answered "UU-ka-Nee-pa-ma-aa- si", UU- for UUdha, Ka for Karumai, Nee for Neelam, Pa for Pachai, ma for Manjal, aa for aaranju and SI for sivappu. This was what had been taught to me through the Tamil medium books and teachers. As the quiz master did not know about this, he declared my answer as wrong. Another boy, probably from English
Medium, answered "VIBGYOR" and was given the marks. In fact I did not know at that time, that there existed something called "VIBGYOR" and I was sure of "UU-ka-Nee-pa-ma-aa- si" only. I tried to argue my case with the quiz master in vain.
It should be understood that no institute teach students how to talk in English.It is a medium of common communication available globally.In my college days students used to talk about studies in abroad and were told that only those who are good at English only can make it.All have to appear for GRE or Toefl and clear the same.The truth later on found was both exams are very simple equivalent to PUC. When compared with the Engilsh quality of westerners Indian English is far better.For the beginners it is just like Driving a Four wheeler at the driving school as no book teaches how to drive. Sir Wndston Churchill used to practice before a mirror before the start of House of Common. Like wise there is no surprise for the beginners to stammer in English.I have faced a lot of interviews and wondered about the quality of the interviewer.Ultimately I found out that these persons mug up before the interview!
Most Chinese students who got to the US are not well versed in English while all instructions are in English. Yet, they excel in their education, often you will find them with Chinese to English dictionaries when they are in class or studying. Now that is being resourceful, is it not? English should be a part of college preparation as opposed to complaining that the college should do something about this. This speaks volumes of how students are prepared for college, This speaks volumes of the system that is blame - shall we say lack of good leadership!
I have no clue why our education sector still has language media other than English. English is a basic and inevitable necessity for technical education.
The students may find English medium incredibly tough at college level, but what if they have been studying in English from their lower classes? What is it that deters school students from learning in English medium? It is great to love one's mother tongue, adore the richness of its literature, etc, but when it comes to technical education and employability thereafter, English is the way to go. Other options like scientific Tamil or simultaneously learning in two languages are really not worth their salt.
TL,DR: Governments should cut down Tamil medium education soon, for the welfare of tomorrow's students.
I don't want to be another person who blames it all on the system for
producing students of such standards. What we have to realize is
language is a skill that you master through practice over time and not
something you'll get it out of a book or a crash course. That English is
hard is just an illusion. If you can learn to ride a bicycle, master
mathematics, you can of course master English. We need to plant this
thought to our kids at an early age and they will be prepared for the
worst, no matter what their background is.
As a student mentioned in this article, engineering education is not
about "important questions" and "problem patterns". Students need to
break this mindset to face real-life problems in their future jobs.
its an individual's wish to chose the language that he would like to
study and government should not spoilsport the others interest by
forcing them to chose tamil/kannada/whatever. Forget about foreign
language; state government like Tamil Nadu/Karnataka don't give option
of our national language in their curriculum. (Am mentioning
karnataka/tamilnadu because I feel they plays crucial role in spreading
regional racism over language;not mentioning sivsena as they play
depending on their mood!)
Instead of trying to take up measures during the Engineering courses, where the students need to go in full speed because of the course burden itself, why not correct this up at the school level itself, which is the root cause of this problem. I agree we need to protect Tamil, but especially in these scenarios where the students are suffering because of the fact that engineering courses can only be taken in English why not go ahead with more technical English education at the school level itself? If someone is thinking that making engineering courses in Tamil medium would be the best, that is only a step to delay the problem, effectively moving it up to the next level, which will become even more difficult for the student at a later stage. French and Germans who have advanced their languages well technologically are also moving to English nowadays realizing the need to go along well with the international requirements. Tamil should be protected, but not by making the students suffer.
It is good to know that there are still lots of students who come through the Tamil medium schools. We, as a country, should encourage education in our mother tongue even through college. One has to simply look at the example of countries like Korea, Japan, China where the local language is preferred over English in education as the students tend to comprehend concepts better in their mother tongue and which will lead to long term successes like seen in those countries. As one of the students has mentioned in this article, he has better comprehension in Tamil and he should be encouraged. On the other hand, I am surprised to learn that Anna University does not provide a bridging course for these students which will only discourage other children that are studying in Tamil medium schools.
I regret that I did not get to study in a Tamil medium school.
For every problem there are solutions. We need to anlayze and select the one which is suitable. People are going to Russia, Germany etc...to study. English is not the language of education there. Foreigners have to learn the local language for the fist year. Only after learning langauge only they will be allowed to go further. Can we let the Tamil medium students to learn only English and engineeing drawing for the fist year? For them engg will be 5 year course. In the interim we should revamp the education in schools to change over to English medium from 8th to 12th standard first. Eventually to all schooling in English medium in stages. With the advent of cable television and internet learning English is not dependant on good English teachers alone. Nor it is prerogative of city dwellers. School teachers just have to make them watch good TV programs in English and with some sincere effort from students all can learn the English language. Tamil medium students need help by guidance.
Now at this age of 64 ,I work as a professor in Civil in a Private
college in Chennai. I have found students not only from Tamil medium
but some north students especially from Bihar,Jharkhand etc are also
finding engineering studies difficult.Though I motivate them ,learnig
in mother tongue increases their confidence. But English becomes a must . I studied my schooling in Kerala,where the 3 language formulae was followed. Thanks to Kerala government for such a policy. The sastra sahitya parishath, and Bhasha Institutes strived hard to work to find equivalent words almost for all medical and engineerting and other technical words. Dedicated scientists and technologist worked for this end. My humble request to politician is don't create language fanaticism. allow students to learn the language they want. Also let the Tamil pandit work on finding new words for engineering and medical terms or atleast use same word and make a dictionary for that. May god help the students.
I am really appalled to read this article. Without a commanding grasp of the English language, I do not know of any other language internationally acceptable to achieve success, especially in Computer Engineering, Medicine etc. I have been living in Canada for the last 46 years and I have seen east europeans/middle easterners/chinese etc. etc. struggling to integrate here due to lack of good english knowledge. I have also seen very good computer field people from China who know their subjects but suffer a lot due to poor english. I think I have to accept that it is not the same Tamil Nadu which produced such great people like Rt. Hon. V. Srinivasa Sastri, who corrected the english of Winston Churchill ! and C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. A. Lakshmana Mudaliar and what have you. Good luck to all the Tamil medium students.
On one side, educational system is doing its best to include the section of society with modest means, but on the other end, the final product finds it hard to communicate in the commercial, business & scientific fields. One of the things the educationist can do is to teach the students of science and mathematics the English words alongside the Tamil words to get them familiarized.
A suggestion.The local School District should be asked to conduct free, short term Evening English classes and these Tamil & other regional language medium students should be encouraged to attend.
I have couple of Spanish speaking technicians under my employ, but encouraged them to study English in the local night school and today they compete effectively with the rest.
More than four decades ago, we did not have this language challenge in CEG at the time we were there,but steps are urgently needed NOW to solve this language problem
This is the bane of most Indian Languages. Why can't we adopt and
accept English words in Indian languages. Russian language has so many
English and French words. This makes like simpler for them when they
have to shift over to English. Why do we insist on inventing new Tamil
words for concepts which did not exist when modern science was born.
This I feel is one of the contributing factors in students not being
able to understand lectures / technical books in English.
Let words like 'force', stress, strain be called the same in Tamil
then see how simple it is for the children to adapt.
Every language grows when it accepts words from other languages.
English has done exactly that. Let us learn and not put speakers of
Indian languages at a disadvantage because of our fanaticism in not
accepting English words into Indian languages.
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