Old city students warm up to English

Job aspirants see acquiring English communication skills as a tool for getting good jobs

Students attending the spoken English courses being conducted by an institute in the Old City of Hyderabad on Thursday. Photo: G. Ramakrishna

Mustafa Hussain has done his ‘Aalim’ course from a seminary in Lucknow but this has not prevented him from learning English. The Islamic theory degree holder has enrolled in more than two English communication courses and has learnt to effectively converse in English.

“Knowledge of English is necessary to land a good job. Even small offices insist on it these days,” says Hussain, an old city resident.

Numbers growing

Learning to read, speak and write in English has always remained a priority for the educated class in this part of the city. Students, job aspirants and even professionals are getting themselves enrolled at coaching centres which impart English communication skills. A chunk of the learners also hold degrees of Islamic courses. “There is a surge in the number of students opting for these courses. Many of them are pursuing higher education,” says Imran Mohammed of Unique Institute of General English at Purani Haveli.

Job aspirants see acquiring English communication skills as a tool for getting good jobs. Apart from students and local job aspirants, those heading to the Middle East and European countries also register for short and long-term courses. “It helps in better communication with people who are from different parts of the world and at the same time enable one to get good jobs,” feels Syed Junaid, who works in the Middle East.

Precondition for jobs

Acquiring English communication skills also figures on the top of the agenda of the fair sex. A girl student of Galaxy Junior College says: “Though I intend to take up the job of an accountant in future I opted for an English communication course as it is a precondition for any job these days in companies.”

Students who have completed their schooling and higher education through Urdu medium also form a part of them. “About thirty per cent students are with Urdu medium background. We often conduct special batches for them,” says an instructor at Knowledge Processing Organisation, an institute for Spoken English and Call Centre training at Charminar bus stand.

“A little command over English helps clear the language barriers in any new office set-up,” feels Syeda Nagma, an MBA student.