40% foreign students fail DU exams due to English
DU or Delhi University is the center of attraction for a majority of foreign students. Each year around 400 foreign students take the exam but 40% fail due to the “language barrier”, reported The Indian Express (IE).
Students across Korea, Tibet and Bhutan find it difficult to follow what is being taught in the class and with language being the primary barrier, 40% of the students tend to fail, said Veena Mishra, dean of International Relations at the university. Due to this a lot of re-admissions take place each year.
To assist these students, mentors and counselors have been appointed by 20 colleges. According to Dr Rakesh Parasher, a mentorat Kirorimal College, foreign students find it really tough to cope up with the language barrier. He feels that some language course should be there to help these students as involving them in college activities will not be sufficient. He recommends conducting orientation sessions for foreign students at colleges and students should be made aware of the emergency helpline numbers and groups.
A Tibetan student who finished BA (Hons) from a reputed Delhi college, was quoted in the news report saying that while teachers were very supportive but it was difficult to follow their accent. It made taking down class notes very difficult. While she managed to clear the exam, her friend failed because of this problem. Read the full story
Aware of the problems, university officialshave reportedly adopted measures to help the students. Mishra told IE that a new mechanism will be introduced under which foreign students will be able to take an English proficiency test at basic, intermediate and advanced levels. Then students can opt for a suitable course to improve their language skills on the basis of their results. The university’s Institute of Lifelong Learning (ILLL) offers a course of 80 hours duration for the reserved category students but for the foreign students it will take time.
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