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Tamil option for engineering courses
CHENNAI: Students who join civil and mechanical
engineering courses in four Anna Universities
and their 11 constituent colleges the next
academic year will have the option of learning
their subjects in Tamil. Announcing the
government’s decision, K. Ponmudi, Higher
Education Minister, told reporters that the
Tamil medium of instruction would enhance
understanding of students, who could perform
“extremely well” in examinations. There would be
no compulsion on students to join the Tamil
medium. It would be optional, the Minister
clarified. A panel of vice-chancellors of the
four Anna Universities would be formed to
prepare materials in Tamil for the two courses
and the committee’s report was expected to be
ready in a couple of months. Even those
who pursuing courses in English would be
permitted to take examinations in Tamil.
Already, question papers for students of arts
and science courses were being prepared in Tamil
too.
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K. Ganesan, Principal Secretary (Higher
Education), later told news agencies, that an additional
section of 30 students would be created in 15
institutions each for the two disciplines. Through this,
1,800 students totally could be accommodated. There was
no requirement for them to take the consent of All India
Council for Technical Education (AICTE). As for
self-financing private colleges, the Minister said there
was no requirement for the colleges to take approval
from the AICTE to teach the courses in Tamil. But if
they wanted to increase the intake, clearance was
required. Dr. Ponmudy said that in Bharatidasan
University, the M.Tech course in computer science was
being offered in Tamil.
