Courses are offered by the Centre for Global Languages (CGL) at the BCU, Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
The demand for foreign language courses, which died down during the covid pandemic years, resurfaced last year at Bangalore City University (BCU). However, problems with the Unified University College Management System (UUCMS) portal are discouraging students from pursuing the course to its next level.
According to sources in the Centre for Global Languages (CGL) at the BCU, while around 100 students enrolled in various courses provided by the centre in 2023–24, only around 70 of them could proceed to the next level in 2024–25 as their results were either not announced properly or withheld on the portal.
“Before UUCMS was brought in, the results were being announced easily. The academic calendar of these courses does not align with the calendars of other regular courses. Hence, there is always one or the other kind of issue, and that is keeping students from enrolling for the course,” the source said.
The centre offers certificate courses, undergraduate diploma, post-graduate diploma and conversation courses in French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Italian, and Portuguese languages. Anyone who has passed class 10 can enrol for these courses, for which classes are conducted on weekends in hybrid mode.
“Pre-covid, we had around 250 enrollments, and there was more demand for Chinese and Portuguese courses, but now French, German, Spanish and Japanese courses are more popular. We are also seeing some demand for Korean and Italian. The demand for these languages also depends on the diplomatic relationships of our country,” said Jyothi Venkatesh, Chairperson, CGL. “Now, we are also seeing a lot of demand for online or hybrid courses. While we offer classes on a hybrid basis now, it is always better for students to come to physical classes as conversing face-to-face is a better technique for learning languages.”
She stressed on the lack of awareness about these courses. “Learning a foreign language can open up opportunities in our country as well as abroad. Currently, most of our students are professionals who are taking these courses to push ahead in their careers. After finishing our courses, students can also study MA in one of the foreign languages, which most are not aware of,” she said.
Japanese for skilled workers
In 2024, BCU launched a special course titled ‘Japanese for Skilled Workforce’ in collaboration with Toyota Kirloskar and the Ministry of External Affairs. This course will help students secure job placements in Japan and is targeted at skilled workers in agriculture, healthcare, electricians, and carpenters.
“Admissions are currently going on for this course for this year. We have a teacher who has come from Japan, and a teacher from here who has lived in Japan. Once the course is completed, we will put our students in touch with recruiters who can either find them jobs in Japan or Japanese companies here,” Ms. Venkatesh explained.
The CGL plans to introduce more such courses in other languages, too. “Students who learn foreign languages at the CGL can improve their communication skills, enhance their cultural awareness and seek better career opportunities in the international field. The job market is expanding beyond our borders in a big way. India, with more than 60% of its population under 30 years of age, has a huge potential to offer in terms of skilled workforce. It is time to think globally,” said Lingaraj Gandhi, Vice-Chancellor, BCU.
Published – February 01, 2025 11:57 am IST