CHENNAI: On the occasion of the first anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that engineering courses would be available in five regional languages in 14 engineering colleges, including two in Tamil Nadu. While the prime minister said the initiative would help the marginalised, academicians claim the move would do no good. Moreover, the concept of teaching engineering courses in Tamil is nothing new to the State.
“Almost a decade ago, Anna University started engineering courses in Tamil, but the project was a failure as the courses had hardly any takers. Starting engineering courses in regional medium is a good initiative but not a wise one,” said former vice-chancellor of Anna University E Balagurusamy. Without creating sufficient course materials in Tamil to teach students and ensuring job opportunities for them, the move is not going to yield any results, he added.
“In today’s cut-throat competitive world, it has become difficult for even general engineering graduates to get a job. Then who will provide jobs to Tamil medium engineering graduates? Even if they do get jobs, how will they work in offices where every document is likely to be in English? We are playing with the future of students,” he said.
P Selvaraj, Secretary of the Consortium of Self-Financing Professional, Arts and Science Colleges in Tamil Nadu, seconded the former V-C. “If a premier government institute struggled to get students for Tamil-medium engineering courses, then it’s quite difficult for private engineering colleges to succeed in it,” said Selvaraj.
Be that as it may, Erode Sengunthar College and Rathinam Technical Campus, the two private engineering colleges that have received permission from the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) to start engineering courses in Tamil, said they received enquires from students for Tamil medium courses, following which they had applied for permission from the council.
“Students from rural belt have been enquiring for Tamil medium engineering courses as it will be easier for them to understand the subject,” said V Venkatachalam, principal of Erode Sengunthar College. The college has received permission from AICTE to start mechanical engineering course in Tamil with 60 seats.