CHENNAI: Naresh Kumar, a student of first year MCom in Guru Nanak College, bemoans the lack of Tamil knowledge among students living in the State. “It is essential to know the language of the place you stay in. It is convenient and you can be more independent,” he says. And those who do not have a proper knowledge of English do not make any effort to improve that either, adds Naresh.Keeping this in mind, students of Guru Nanak College (GNC) in the city are on a literacy mission, but not of the usual kind. Twenty-four MCom students of the institution are part of a programme that aims to help students who are marginalised because of their lack of language skills. The ‘Friend of English’ scheme launched in March this year works both ways. A student who is good in English is paired with one who knows Tamil well but requires help with English and the two students help each other.The programme is one-on-one and a half-hour to one-hour meeting each week is adequate for the students to meet, learn and review progress.“Even those who have studied Tamil in school find it difficult. The sad state of affairs is that children in Class 5 cannot read a Class 1 text book,” says Naresh. “Teaching them one word a week makes it easier for them to learn. They read advertisements and name boards written in English and Tamil so they themselves can decipher the meaning of the word, apart from just speaking and reading,” says Naresh.A flash card, Kalvi Thandha Kadavul Aavai, designed by Dr M V Arulalan, Associate Professor of Commerce and secretary of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) unit in GNC, aids in the teaching of Tamil. The card has 52 words, which cover 90 Tamil letters of the alphabet. Only one word is taught a week in Tamil to first-time learners. These are words of relationship (appa, amma), eatables (keerai, kadalai) and common usage (paal, veedu).Those who do not have a strong background in English get help to boost their confidence through peer teaching and learning.Those teaching English focus on correct usage, pronunciation, grammar and expanding the vocabulary.Kumaraguru, a student of first year MCom who teaches English to one of his college mates, says, “We follow very simple steps – reading English newspapers, watching English news channels and movies. Every week we teach eight to 10 new words and some grammatical terms and then explain how to use them to frame sentences.”The students say they find this method of learning and teaching time and cost effective. It also gives them a sense of social responsibility, said one of the students who added that a chain effect is what they are looking for to benefit more people both within and outside the college.Speaking to City Express, Dr Arulalan said, “During the summer vacation, the 24 students are planning to extend their help to the illiterate who stay around their homes or in their villages. I hope they will gain confidence from imparting knowledge to others.”
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