Thanks to the craze for English education, students opting for various degree courses at the Satavahana University have shown preference for English as the medium of instruction.
After completion of admission procedure through Degree Online Services Telangana (DOST), only 20,350 seats were filled out of 45,471 seats in various courses at 115 degree colleges, including 17 government-run ones in the district.
A total of 48 degree courses under BA, B.Com, B.Sc. and BBA are being offered by the university. There are 8,520 seats in various courses offered in Telugu medium, 36,801 seats in English medium and 150 seats in Urdu medium.
But there are few takers for the Telugu medium courses at Satavahana University. Of 2,400 seats in BA (Telugu medium) courses, only 705 seats were filled. In BA (English medium), 805 out of 2,420 seats were filled.
Similarly, out of 4,530 seats in B.Com (Telugu medium) courses, only 1,358 were filled. On the other hand, 8,333 out of 14,880 seats in B.Com (English medium) were filled.
Likewise, out of 1,590 B.Sc (Telugu medium) seats, only 252 were filled. On the other hand, 8,773 seats out of 18,781 in B.Sc (English medium) courses were filled.
The BBA course is offered only in English medium and out of 720 seats, 232 seats have been filled.
There was zero admission into the BA (history, economics and computer applications) course offered in Telugu medium with 25 seats and only one student opted for BA (computer application, economics and political science) course offered in Telugu medium with 25 seats.
Even in B.Sc. (botany, zoology and computer science) Telugu medium there was zero enrolment with a total 50 seats. B.Sc. (MPC) in Telugu medium attracted only 16 students against a total seat strength of 320 and B.Sc. (math, physics and computer science) in Telugu medium saw the enrolment of only 16 students for 350 available seats.
‘Better study material’
Y. Kishore, Assistant Registrar of Satavahana University, said students preferred English medium courses due to availability of enough study material in that language as opposed to those in Telugu to widen their knowledge base. Besides, students were choosing English medium education for better employment opportunities and to improve their communication skills.
‘Give priority to Telugu’
Former vice-chancellor and senior academic Md. Iqbal Ali said students should not forget the mother tongue. Several developed countries and States such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala accord priority only to their mother tongue in education, he pointed out, adding: “Even I studied in Telugu medium and grew to the rank of Vice Chancellor.”
Mr. Ali also said students can learn more effectively in their own mother tongue instead of a foreign language.
