TRICHY: Securing an MBBS seat in a government medical college was a dream come true for R Gayathri of Maangadu in Pudukottai district. However, having undergone her schooling in Tamil medium in a government school, the fear of learning the MBBS curriculum in English began haunting her.
But help has come for Gayathri and others as they await classes to start in February, thanks to the English language proficiency sessions by a voluntary organisation.
With a total of 14 students from government schools managing to get an MBBS seat under 7.5% reservation from Pudukottai, Namathu Nanbaragal Narpani Iyakkam – a voluntary organisation based in the district – is training nine of them to improve their English proficiency.
Coordinator of the education wing of the organisation, K Sivanesan, said they realised that the students from government schools would struggle in English once the MBBS classes begin as they compete with students from matriculation and CBSE schools who will be well-versed in the language.
“We decided to improve the confidence level of these students by not just teaching English but removing their fear of the language. Most of the students are familiar with the language but they were unable to use words appropriately. Instead of focusing more on grammar sessions, we tried to focus on making them speak and correct their mistakes,” said Sivanesan.
After a week-long training session, Gayathri is confident of introducing herself in English in front of others besides forming simple sentences. M Dharanika, another student, said Sivanesan could teach the language by knowing their level of understanding and helping them know their mistakes. “Moreover, we interact in English than just write, which has helped us gain confidence in the language,” she said.
Sivanesan said they didn’t want to make the students feel left out in the classroom because of their poor English skills. “Further, we are also planning to equip them with the vocabulary of simple medical terms which will be helpful for them during their initial days of learning,” he said.