Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU) has decided to teach its foreign students basic Gujarati in an effort to help them overcome communication difficulties. Currently, the university has 17 students from different countries such as Ghana, Uganda, Russia, Afghanistan and Nepal. They enrolled in various courses in July 2013 to study for graduate or postgraduate degrees.
"The students will be taught basic Gujarati so that they can communicate with local people on their own if they find themselves at a different place in the city. Knowledge of Gujarati will prove useful as they will be spending two-three years in Gujarat," said Apurva Desai, head of computer science department at VNSGU. Students from abroad have communication problems not only when they are away from the university but also in class.
They will be taught Gujarati for an hour each day and, during these teaching sessions, they will be taught elementary Gujarati words and sentences. Sadiqua Ahmadi of Afghanistan is a student of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology at VNSGU.
"I sit alone in the class as no one can understand what I speak and I don't know Gujarati. If I get to learn a bit of Gujarati, it will help me find friends in class and will also be of use in my studies," said Ahmadi.
Michael Adongo of Ghana believes his life will be easier if he learns some Gujarati. "I face problems in travelling by auto-rickshaw. If I get to learn some Gujarati I will be able to communicate better," he said. Adongo is a student of master of computer applications.
Hamidah Nabayego from Uganda said she is learning Gujarati so that she can bargain better when she is out shopping. "I can't bargain at shops because of the language problem. Further, I miss important facts during announcements made in class. Of course, our teachers teach us in English but we can't communicate with our classmates," said Nabayego, a bachelor of computer application student.
A PhD student in the education department, Balojja Tom of Uganda, said, "I can learn a lot if I know the local language and understand the culture better. It is important to know the likes and dislikes of people here. Knowledge of Gujarati will help us in this."
"The students will be taught basic Gujarati so that they can communicate with local people on their own if they find themselves at a different place in the city. Knowledge of Gujarati will prove useful as they will be spending two-three years in Gujarat," said Apurva Desai, head of computer science department at VNSGU. Students from abroad have communication problems not only when they are away from the university but also in class.
They will be taught Gujarati for an hour each day and, during these teaching sessions, they will be taught elementary Gujarati words and sentences. Sadiqua Ahmadi of Afghanistan is a student of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology at VNSGU.
"I sit alone in the class as no one can understand what I speak and I don't know Gujarati. If I get to learn a bit of Gujarati, it will help me find friends in class and will also be of use in my studies," said Ahmadi.
Michael Adongo of Ghana believes his life will be easier if he learns some Gujarati. "I face problems in travelling by auto-rickshaw. If I get to learn some Gujarati I will be able to communicate better," he said. Adongo is a student of master of computer applications.
Hamidah Nabayego from Uganda said she is learning Gujarati so that she can bargain better when she is out shopping. "I can't bargain at shops because of the language problem. Further, I miss important facts during announcements made in class. Of course, our teachers teach us in English but we can't communicate with our classmates," said Nabayego, a bachelor of computer application student.
A PhD student in the education department, Balojja Tom of Uganda, said, "I can learn a lot if I know the local language and understand the culture better. It is important to know the likes and dislikes of people here. Knowledge of Gujarati will help us in this."