The switchover from Telugu to English medium is largely being viewed as a stumbling block to the students of Telugu medium with rural background seeking admission to 17 government degree colleges in
Chittoor district. But for those joining the degree courses in Dravidian University at Kuppam, the new policy is not at all a worry, because English medium of instruction has been mandatory here for two decades.
At present, Dravidian University is the only language university in India to directly offer degree courses in arts, sciences and commerce streams on its own campus, without any affiliated colleges. Though the university
is predominantly promoting postgraduate courses and advanced research studies in Dravidian languages and linguistics of Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, the university had introduced degree courses with English as the only medium of instruction in 2002 on the advice of C. Rangarajan, the then Governor of Andhra Pradesh.
There are currently more than 1,000 students, with 90% of them from Telugu medium background, in the university. "This year, the new admissions will be around 400. Seeing their seniors successfully coping with the English medium naturally emboldens them. For three months, we help them with their vocabulary, grammar, reading, writing, spoken English and soft skills. The students will improve a lot by the time they complete their second year," says Prof. P. Muralikrishna Reddy, Department of English and Communications.
"I hail from a rural and Telugu medium backdrop. Our teachers helped us to steel our will to overcome the fear of English," says Mahalakshmi, a B.Sc final year student.
Supriya, another B.Sc final year student, says that during the initial days of joining the university, she thought of quitting studies. "It was all a big confusion as lessons were being taught in English. Clueless, I used to weep, but our lecturers stood firm and supported me. I was advised to read a lot and try to think in English. Now, I simply love English," she beams.
