OU move to make tribal students proficient in English

Hyderabad: The English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC) at Osmania University is set to launch a transformative initiative aimed at empowering undergraduate tribal students from Telangana with English language and communication skills. The inaugural programme for the ‘one-month residential training programme, for imparting English language and communication skills for undergraduate tribal students of Telangana,’ sponsored by the Governor of Telangana, Jishnu Dev Varma, was held on Friday at the University College of Arts and Social Sciences, Osmania University (OU).

This residential training programme is a significant step towards bridging the communication gap and enhancing the employability of tribal students. It reflects the university's commitment to inclusivity and the advancement of education for underprivileged communities.

In this training programme there are 66 tribal undergraduate students from 33 districts of Telangana (one male, one female from each district), from various government degree colleges of Telangana.

Chief Guest Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, said, “This programme is a transformative journey, empowering the students to dream big and achieve greater heights. Communication skills are the self-essence of personal and professional success. Effective communication fosters confidence, builds relationships, and enhances teamwork. These skills will not only help the students in their academics and employment but also in articulating their thoughts and ideas effectively.”

He emphasised that English has transitioned from being a language of oppression to one of universal expression. “We cannot make a Viksit Bharat without including the people living in the margins and empowering them,” he added.

“The primary aim of this course is to improve students' proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, communication, and writing skills. The programme will include four sessions each day, conducted by experts from Hyderabad Central University, EFLU, regional institutes, State universities, and NIT. All the sessions will be video recorded for the benefit of other students of the government degree colleges in Telangana,” said Professor B Vijaya, Head of the Department of English and Director of ELTC.

The programme witnessed the presence of Dana Kishore, Principal Secretary to the Governor; Professor Kumar Molugaram, Vice Chancellor, Osmania University; and Professor C Kaseem, Principal of the University College of Arts.