Tamil Nadu to Introduce Common English Syllabus for all Undergraduate Courses

The higher education department intends to introduce a common updated English syllabus to all undergraduate courses in Tamil Nadu so that students can improve their command of the English language. The new syllabus will focus more on listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

The course, likely to be renamed English for Communication, will be common across Tamil Nadu for first-year undergraduate students for the year 2020-21. The students will learn prose, poetry and non-detail in the second year.

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The higher education department is also planning to introduce a compulsory course for commerce, management, life sciences, physical sciences, arts and sciences. Known as Professional English, the course will familiarize students with vocabulary related to their subjects and will be taught by subject teachers.

According to an official from the higher education department, many students lack basic skills in English such as reading, writing and comprehension. Consequently, a high number of students are not able to complete their degrees in three years’ time.

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“A majority passing out of college are also not able to converse in English due to rote learning. The updated uniform syllabus will make sure all students master basic skills and master their subjects,” the official said.

The new syllabus will provide a foundation to build on students’ capacities and understanding of their subjects.

Vice-chancellors approved the proposed changes at a higher education council meeting in February. The government has left it to universities to decide if this should be an add-on course or core subject; whatever it is, the subject must be made compulsory.

Some universities have requested subject experts on the board of studies to replace a core subject for first-year undergraduate students with Professional English. However, some professors have argued that doing so could make many degrees invalid.