In Indore, the Hindi-medium Biomedical Engineering course for the 2023 batch at Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS) has been discontinued, resulting in the second consecutive batch being inactive. All nine students from the 2023 batch have transferred to the English-medium program. This transition occurred during the internal branch sliding process offered to second-year students during the engineering admissions counseling at the college. The decision has raised concerns about the future sustainability of the Hindi-medium program as the first batch in 2022 faced a similar situation with all students switching courses. The Hindi-language Biomedical Engineering course was introduced at SGSITS in 2022 with approval from the All India Council for Technical Education to run engineering programs in Hindi. However, the program struggled to attract students from the beginning. Although ten students enrolled in 2023, one withdrew early on, and the remaining nine shifted to the English-medium course after studying for a year, leaving the Hindi program without any students for two consecutive years. Dr. Prashant Bansod, head of the biomedical engineering department, confirmed that all students from the 2023 batch switched to the English program during the internal branch sliding process, affecting the prepared course material in Hindi for the second year. SGSITS remains the sole institution in the country offering Biomedical Engineering in Hindi, with the initiative to promote technical education in regional languages facing a lack of demand in Madhya Pradesh. College officials expressed concerns about the decreasing interest in the program despite efforts to provide resources in Hindi and offer exam flexibility in "Hinglish."Scratching one's head over whether to deviate from the curriculum may be a result of either the influence of peers or the expectations from parents to pursue English studies. Despite the unavailability of Biomedical Engineering books in Hindi, the college faculty took the initiative to translate the course material into Hindi, and compiled notes and study resources to support the BTech in Biomedical Engineering program in Hindi. Despite some initial challenges, the college administration is determined to encourage and empower the group of 12 new students in the branch this year. The course was designed with a focus on students coming from Hindi-medium or rural backgrounds. It is a misconception that studying a course in Hindi diminishes one's prospects for job placements. The newly enrolled batch is also being supported and reassured about future job opportunities, as stated by SGSITS director Dr. Vijay Rode to TOI.
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...