BU issueing 'Smart card'
Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, C. Ramasamy (seated), at the language laboratory of Bharathiar University after inaugurating it on Monday. Vice-Chancellor of Bharathiar University, G.Thiruvasagam (second left), and Head of the Department of English, R.Palanivel (left), are in the picture.Bharathiar University is going to distribute smart cards to students on the campus, said G. Thiruvasagam, Vice-Chancellor, here on Monday.At the inauguration of the language laboratory at the university, he said that smart cards would be issued to the students by the end of this month. They would have to use the card to enter the library, Internet centre and laboratory. The university was also looking at networking the entire campus in order to increase efficiency and facilitate transparency. A sum of Rs. 75 lakh was spent on this initiative, Mr. Thiruvasagam said. The language laboratory that was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, C.Ramasamy, was set up to make students conversant in English and confident enough to speak the language fluently. A sum of Rs. 30 lakh was spent on the laboratory, which had the latest software and infrastructure.Only 14 per cent of the university’s students were employable. This was owing to the lack of communication skills. In order to improve students’ communication skills, the university had revamped the English syllabus and given greater emphasis to spoken and written skills.All the affiliated colleges had been instructed to make English speaking compulsory in classes for the English medium students.The university had also introduced diploma courses in English and a PG Diploma programme in medical transcription.
More than 35 per cent of the students who had opted for English medium had written the examination in Tamil.The TNAU was also emphasising English and Mathematics skills, Mr. Ramasamy said. Skills in the English language were extremely important especially in this age of global competition.The university had made it compulsory for the faculty to allot at least 15 minutes for interaction in English at every class, he added.Laptops would be made compulsory for all first year students to facilitate the learning process.
