Students admitted to private professional colleges across India, be it dental, medical or other streams, seem to lately come with an acute deficit in reading, writing and communication skills in the English language. The curriculum, however, is entirely in English - study materials, textbooks, journals, even teachers' notes. Yet, the students do not make any effort on their own to improve their English language skills, expecting to be spoon-fed.
So a professor writes (sic):
There are thousands of BDS students in All states probably who are very poor in English -simple grammar and spoken English .They know the answer but cannot express themselves. Can the Health ministry and Dental Council introduce optional or mandatory English classes once a week?All the PG entrance and the Interview is in English. Let the vernacular students get a fairer chances in the competition.Some dental colleges reportedly do conduct tutorials to improve their students' English language and communication skills, but this is not by an English language expert. The dental faculty themselves try to do it, in a situation of the blind leading the lame.
Perhaps in the next few years, a hard look needs to be taken at whether English needs to continue as the compulsory medium of dental (and other technical & professional) education, or if it is feasible to switch over to the vernacular. If dental students in Thailand write their answers in Thai, and German students write in German, why not in Bengali or Hindi or Tamil or Gujarati?Considering that we have an over-population of dental graduates with very little work or income opportunities, translating the standard texts into regional languages may actually provide them with some employment and regular income!
Yet, many think that a dentist/doctor's ability to treat patients is not dependent on or inter-related with their English language skills.Unfortunately, it is. Medical / dental textbooks and journals are all in English, and if the student cannot decipher them, her / his ability to gain knowledge from publications in the English language takes a nosedive. A poorly educated dentist / doctor's ability to treat patients is also obviously badly compromised.
Not being able to write a single sentence in correct English is not a disqualification for becoming a fine dentist. Really? Is dentistry fun, or is it funny?
