JNU goes the Jamia way with English empowerment cell

Many students like him are benefiting from the course,in what is being called “the first of its kind” initiative at JNU.

The University started the Linguistic Empowerment Cell in August 2011 to address language competence in English and to improve the cognitive processing abilities and learning abilities of students.

The Cell offers two foundation courses in English — ‘Basic Communication Skills-Level’ and ‘English for Academic Writing’ — which are meant for the linguistic empowerment of students from across the schools and centres at JNU.

The convenor of the cell,Prof Vaishna Narang said,“The students entering JNU come with a lot of variation in their socio-cultural and economic backgrounds,and also in their regional and linguistic backgrounds. This reflects in their language,especially so in English,which is extremely heterogeneous.”

She said that this “influences to a great extent” their ability to receive what is offered in the academic programs and activities of JNU. “Language education in the country is pathetic,to say the least,” Narang said.

Stressing the importance of understanding English as a medium of instruction,Narang said,“Linguistic empowerment is cognitive empowerment and cognitive capacity building so that eventually the students learn to realise the creative potential of language.”

Nearly 200 students in JNU and 41 members of non-teaching staff took lessons in language improvement last semester. As the course is new,it faces shortage of classrooms and classes are conducted at different venues,depending on availability of space.