News Highlight
The demand for medicine to be taught in languages besides English has been made repeatedly over the years and was reiterated most recently by the Union Home Minister.
Key Takeaways
- Over the years, academicians have considered the advantages, demerits, and challenges of such a move.
The need for regional languages in teaching medicine.
- Linguistic dualism:
- Since students who learned regional languages before enrolling in medical school find it challenging to understand concepts, it promotes linguistic dualism.
- Doctor-Patient gap:
- A doctor’s communication gap with the patient can be bridged if they are fluent in the local tongue.
- Thinking and communication:
- Higher education in Indian languages would enhance a person’s ability to think and, most likely, communicate.
Is it possible to teach medicine in a regional language?
- Â Experience from other countries:
- In certain countries, medicine is taught in Spanish, German and so on.
- Apart from that, the 2020 National Education Policy includes a recommendation to support regional languages.
- The current situation:
- In India, medical students are guided by regulations from the National Medical Commission (NMC).
- As of now, students cannot completely study in the regional language because the NMC declares the medium of instruction as English.
- So, teaching in a regional language can only be supplementary in case a student does not understand something in English.
The challenges of having medical education in local languages.
- Professional competence:
- Because English is the universal language of science and medicine, it is necessary for professional competence.
- There is also a new concept called “English for Medical Purposes.
- Uniform understanding:
- Medicine is an area where we need to have a uniform understanding in certain aspects across the globe where uniform terminology is required.
- Availability of study materials:
- The availability of books and materials in local languages is a serious concern.
- Training the staff:
- To train the teachers to teach in regional languages will take more time.
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Content Source: The Hindu