The Delhi University is all set to begin a specialised course in Hindi from September for the African students who have taken admission in the varsity following a significant increase in applicants from the continent.
According to the head of foreign students’ registration office, professor Amrit Kaur Basra, this year the university had received 428 applications from 35 African countries including Niger, Lesotho, Ivory Coast and Ethiopia, while last year there were less than 100 students from Africa.
However, the outbreak of alleged racial attacks on the African community in the past few months have raised concerns of not only the student community but also the university officials. “After the unfortunate incidents in the recent past, a need was felt to have a full-fledged course on spoken Hindi. The students will not just be taught the language, but also communication skills. This will help them to connect better with the people of Delhi,” said Anand Prakash, professor and dean of International Relations.
“We are planning to start the course by September. We have received the approval from the vice chancellor in this regard,” Mr Prakash added. A few months back, some Africans were attacked in Rajpur Khurd village in South Delhi’s Chhattarpur area, barely a week after a Congolese national was beaten to death in Vasant Kunj. These incidents had sent shock waves among the community.
“A large number of people in Delhi speak in Hindi and the African students suggested that there should be a course to bridge the communication gap between them and other students. We have enough space and money to handle the course. The university needs to have some module and centralised system for such students so that they feel comfortable while communicating with the faculty as well as fellow students,” Ms. Basra said. The university had started a similar course in Hindi a few years back, but it was discontinued in 2012.
