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Thai students take Hindi heartland route to learn English at LU
As part of the course, they will be taught professional and general communication, grammar, business communication and academic writing
At first sight, it appears to be a class with many absentees. However, the class is at full strength; only the students are quieter and more attentive, and the professors are more communicative and proactive.
Welcome to the class with the first batch of Thai students for this year, who began studying a three-month, self-financed course in the University of Lucknow. The 10 students are striving to understand basic English with their knowledge of the Thai language.
As part of the course, they will be taught professional and general communication, grammar, business communication and academic writing, composition and contextual communication in Hindi as part of the course.
These students have little or no exposure to English and Hindi. They are studying ‘Proficiency in English Language and Contextual Communication’. Every day they are sent some videos allowing them to understand the language better by the director of International Collaboration and Student Affairs Prof RP Singh.
“We are using culture immersion methods and cooperative learning methods of teaching in which we are primarily focusing on communicating the meaning rather than the grammar to teach the students. We are also planning to form peer groups with research scholars of the university so that they can get one on one attention,” said RP Singh.
Talking to HT in halting English and using gestures, Abdul Hakim, 27, a student from Surat Thani, in Thailand, said that it was a fellow Thai who earlier studied at LU, who told him about the course.
“I own a school back at home. I wish to teach English to students in Thailand as it will help them in career advancement and growth,” said Thani.
Fayat Raiya, 27, who came to study from Kabri, Thailand, talked about his passion for cooking.
“I wish to open a Thai restaurant in my city. Knowing English will help me cater to my guests better. I really like the way we are being taught by using different tools including videos and classroom lectures,” said Raiya.
Abdullah Inaram, 25, another student said that he likes the culture of the country. “The city is very beautiful. I visited Hazratganj, Bara Imambara and had shawarma. It feels like I am living out of all the stories I heard about India,” said Inaram.
This year, the university received 1,768 applications from candidates from 76 countries and more than 50 applications for self-financed courses, said university spokesperson Durgesh Srivastava.
