VIJAYAWADA: SRR & CVR Government Degree College has been offering short term certificate courses in foreign languages to the people of the city since 2017. A course in German is about to be introduced in the college, where French and Arabic courses are currently going on.
People of all age groups have been showing interest in learning new languages and have been applying for the courses, which promise its candidates minimal reading, writing and conversing skills in the language by the end of it. A 70-year-old woman, MV Sharada, former headmistress of a school, is currently attending the classes of French. “I have learnt Sanskrit long ago and people told me that if one knew Sanskrit, it was easier for them to learn other languages. I wanted to learn French and this language is easy to learn. There are many similarities between Sanskrit and French. The classes are going good and we even get time to practice as the classes are conducted only once a week,” she said.
The course will be completed over six months in 50 to 60 hours. After a candidate successfully completes the course, a certificate will be issued. Candidates can also apply for the German language course, which is about to start from the first week of December. “We have introduced the foreign language courses considering the future needs of the region. These courses not only increase the employability skills of youngsters but also help empower women as interpreters, translators etc.,” said K Lakshmi Chamundeshwari Devi, Head of Department of English, who is also in-charge of the courses.
The college also entered into an MoU with Alliance Francais, Hyderabad. Study material and teaching assistance will be taken form it and its examination patterns will also be adopted. The college is also contemplating introducing Russian and Chinese language courses.
Foreign languages courses
Duration- Six months
German- 50 teaching hours
German classes - Twice a week
To be introduced - Russian , German Chinese language course