Partha urges engineering colleges to start 6 week English crash course

Kolkata: State Education minister Partha Chatterjee urged the private engineering colleges to have a six week crash course in English for their students, so that they can be confident when they go for job interviews.

"In foreign countries every student has to undergo a six week course in English. I will suggest that you should also think along a similar line and do a six week course in English soon after the students take admission. If they are not conversant in English, it will be difficult for them to crack job interviews," Chatterjee said at Education Interface (EI) on Saturday.

The three day EI that began at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Friday, is a platform that provides a plethora of opportunities for aspirants and offers pre-counselling sessions for students and guardians seeking guidance and career opportunities in the field of medical and engineering studies.

Chatterjee regretted the withdrawal of English by the erstwhile Left Front government from elementary education and said that the government is trying to set in place an infrastructure of English medium schools, besides Bengali medium in the state.

The minister urged the parents to have a clear cut idea of the job market of the country and Bengal in the next 10 to 15 years and then take a decision on career studies for their wards.

"Students should be allowed to take up subjects of their choice and parents should not force anything upon them," Chatterjee said.

It may be mentioned that state Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, who had attended the inaugural programme of EI on Friday, had spoken along similar lines and said that engineering and technology students with a sound knowledge of English get an edge in job interviews.

Chattopadhyay, who is the chairman of College of Engineering and Management at Kolaghat, has already directed the board to make the teachers take special classes in English for the students who take admission.

"You have to ensure that the students are well conversant in English. You may take special classes after the college hours or at any other time, to improve English communication for the students," Chattopadhyay had said.