Engineering in local language: In Noida, it’s a hit — with some help from ‘Hinglish’

“Almost all my students are from English-medium schools so they are comfortable with the language. Nevertheless, I hold the lectures in Hindi with a mix of English to explain concepts better… The nature of the programme makes it necessary to hold bilingual discussions,” Sagar said.

This private institute, affiliated to Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Technical University, is one of the success stories of the Government’s move to introduce engineering degree courses in regional languages. Over the last two years, the institute nearly doubled its enrollment for the Hindi programme from just 39 students in 2021-22 to 70 in 2022-23. It not only filled the approved intake of 60 in 2022-23, but also offered supernumerary seats for students from economically weaker sections (EWS).

Located in the National Capital Region (NCR), a majority of the institute’s students are from English-medium schools. “Our students are aware of the importance of English and most also write their answer scripts in English,” said Sansar Singh Chauhan, head of the Computer Science Engineering (CSE) department.

Engineering in local language

But the advantage, he said, is also for those who could not get into English-medium engineering programmes. “There is no difference in these two programmes, rather an option to be able to write in Hindi if not comfortable with English,” he said.

Several students at the institute echoed Chauhan’s line.

“I had applied to an English-medium programme elsewhere but the cutoff was so high that I could not get admission there. I decided to opt for Hindi instead here. The programme is the same as English,” said Divya Gaur, a second-year student.

“Computer Science is all about technique and coding, the practical knowledge of which remains the same for both CSE core students and Hindi students” said Shreya, another second-year student.

It’s no surprise then that in one of the two Computer Science Engineering (CSE) sections in Hindi, 64 out of the 72 students had completed Class 12 from English-medium schools.

According to college officials, the admission process remains common for both CSE core (English) and CSE (Hindi). “But students with a better percentile or a higher rank are given preference to join the core programme and the ones with comparatively lower ranks and percentiles take up CSE in Hindi. One must hold a minimum of 60 per cent in their 12th grade for admission and a rank in the Joint Entrance Examination to join these courses at the institute,” said an official.

According to teachers, students refer to textbooks prescribed for core subjects in English while the mode of teaching is in Hindi. “No translated material has been provided by the AICTE to us and we don’t have any plans of translating any material as CSE is a very technical subject. Code is in itself a universal language. So there we saw no immediate need to translate the curriculum,” said Chauhan, the CSE head.

The big question: placement?

The key question, however, is recruitment with the first four-year batch scheduled to graduate next year.

“There is no difference in learning material and the curriculum as teaching happens from English textbooks but companies will ask, ‘Why B Tech in Hindi?’ This might be a drawback as we may not be seen as candidates who are not fluent in English,” said a second-year student.

It’s a concern that finds resonance at the institute’s Placement cell. Manju Khatri, director, Training and Placement, said, “Companies have their own prescribed way of recruiting students. There are no relaxations or exceptions for CSE Hindi students. Both will have a common procedure for campus placements. After clearing all the technical grounds, it all depends upon the mental ability of the students, the skills they learn, how one would perform in the personal interview.”