The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to offer the MBBS, nursing and other paramedical students to study the courses in the Hindi language soon.
The government will form an expert committee, in association with the medical education department and Bhopal's Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hindi Vishwavidyalaya (ABVHV) to form a strategy for introducing Hindi medium in the field.
The development was confirmed by the Medical Education Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Vishwas Sarang, on the occasion of Hindi Diwas on Tuesday, September 14, Hindustan Times reported.
Discontinuation of Hindi Medium Course In 2016
In 2016, ABVHV had announced engineering and medical education in Hindi and had also introduced three streams of engineering in the language, but it saw only three admissions in the first year. The reason behind the failure is said to be the translation of engineering terminology in the said language.
The university also couldn't start the MBBS course in another medium as the Medical Council of India did not grant permission.
It later discontinued the course, and the enrolled students were shifted to private colleges to continue studies in the English medium.
ABVHV Vice-Chancellor Khem Singh Dehariya informed that the university would prepare the course and syllabus., but this time, the terminologies will be retained to ease the process for students.
Several universities, including Medical Education University in Jabalpur and Rajeev Gandhi Proudyogiki University in Bhopal, also gave an option to students to take their examinations in mixed Hindi-English language, prioritising knowledge of the subject over the language.
Criticism
Opposition parties condemned the ruling government's move, alleging them playing with students' future, highlighting the earlier course in Hindi that failed miserably.
Reportedly, some experts in the fraternity have criticised the idea, claiming it would make budding doctors suffer and they will not be able to upgrade themselves.
"Government should teach Hindi to students but not at the cost of English. Medicine is a vast field, and doctors attend seminars organised in various countries to learn about new technologies and treatment plans. Hindi medium students will suffer. This is not a good decision," said Dr Anurag Gupta, Indian Medical Association's student wing state president, reported Hindustan Times.
Move To Benefit Hindi Medium Students
The BJP leaders said the move was aimed to benefit Hindi medium students, who face difficulties in pursuing and learning the course due to the language barrier. "They will get five years to learn English and understand it while gaining knowledge in their mother tongue. It is an excellent step," party spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal told the media.
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