SGSITS students studying biomedical engineering transition from Hindi to English.
Indore: The 2023 batch of Biomedical Engineering course offered in Hindi at Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS) has been dissolved, making the second consecutive batch...
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The Biomedical Engineering course in Hindi, part of the 2023 batch at Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS) in Indore, has been discontinued. This marks the second consecutive defunct batch, as all nine students have shifted to the English-medium program. The transition took place during the branch sliding option for second-year students in the college's engineering admissions counseling. This shift has raised doubts about the sustainability of the Hindi program, as the initial 2022 batch also faced a similar fate. Introduced in 2022 with approval from the All India Council for Technical Education, the Hindi-language course has struggled to attract students. Ten students enrolled in 2023, but one withdrew early, leaving the remaining nine to switch to the English program. Consequently, the Hindi program has had no students for two consecutive years. Dr. Prashant Bansod, the head of the Biomedical Engineering department, mentioned that despite preparations for the second year's course material in Hindi, all students opted for the English program during the branch sliding. SGSITS is the sole institute offering Biomedical Engineering in Hindi, reflecting a broader initiative to promote technical education in regional languages, but it has seen little demand in Madhya Pradesh. College authorities have made efforts to facilitate learning in Hindi, including providing textbooks and exam flexibility, yet students continue to prefer English-medium education.Scratching branches or deviating from the path might occur because of external pressure to study English, rather than following one's interests. Despite the absence of Biomedical Engineering books in Hindi, the college faculty translated course material into Hindi and created study resources to support students pursuing the BTech in Biomedical Engineering in Hindi. Despite facing challenges at the start, the college is committed to encouraging and empowering the new group of 12 students in the program this year. The course was tailored for students from Hindi-speaking or rural backgrounds, with an emphasis on debunking the belief that studying in Hindi limits job prospects. Dr. Vijay Rode, director of SGSITS, emphasized the support provided to the new batch regarding job opportunities and placement prospects.