Housewives in Tiruchi can learn German in afternoon

Free training to teachers in first three levels at Goethe-Institut /Max Mueller Bhavan centre at St. Johns Vestry Anglo Indian HSS.

Not just students of Tiruchi, even housewives and employed professionals too can learn German now, thanks to Goethe-Institut /Max Mueller Bhavan centre opened at St. Johns Vestry Anglo Indian HSS. The new Tiruchi centre of the institute was inaugurated by Karl Pechatscheck, director, Goethe-Institut(GI), Chennai, here on Friday.

GI is a cultural institute responsible for spreading German language and cultural activities, with over 136 institutes in 96 countries. “The institute has 15 teaching centres in India, two of which are in Tamil Nadu: Coimbatore and Chennai. The new Tiruchi centre is the third in the State. There are also plans to start a fourth centre in Madurai after June 2014,” said Prabhakar Narayanan, head of the language department, Goethe- Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Chennai.

In Tiruchi, Geothe-Institut has been offering campus courses at NIT, IIM, and SASTRA since 2010, and has been offering super intensive and weekend courses apart from campus courses. “In the last three years, around 1,000 students in the district have been trained in German by the centre,” said Mr. Pechatscheck.

At the new venue, the institute plans to offer intensive courses in the afternoon, targeting housewives, and evening courses for all. There will also be the usual weekend courses and super intensive courses in addition to a teen course, based on demand, during summer. The institute is also ready to offer free training to teachers to learn the first three levels of German language A1, A2 and B1. The school authorities can nominate the teachers.

Last year, a topper from the first batch of B1 at SASTRA was sent to Germany for a four-week language course.

Good employment opportunities available for those fluent in German in the fields of teaching, medical transcription, translation, and tourism has triggered the interest among learners , said Lakshmi Gopal, a senior faculty at the Tiruchi centre.

“GI is currently celebrating the centenary year of the teaching of the language in India. The language was taught for the first time in India at Ranade Institute in Pune in 1914,” said Mr. Pechatscheck.

The celebration is being mainly organised in Pune, Delhi, and Chennai, and features a literary fest, German Connect, and film festival among other events.