Not many takers for Chinese language course at Panjab University
Only seven students have applied for admission to the course against the 57 seats available.
The Chinese language certificate course which is offered by the department of Chinese and Tibetan languages at Panjab University has failed to attract any linguaphiles this year.
Only seven students have applied for admission to the course against the 57 seats available. According to the information provided by the university, last year 38 students were admitted in the one-year certificate course.
The drop in the number of students has pressed the department to offer offline admissions as well. However, on September 26, the last date for admission to the courses in Chinese and Tibetan languages, no new takers showed up.
What’s more, not a single application has been received for admission in the certificate course in Tibetan language this year. Last year, 38 students were admitted in the course, which offers 57 seats. Admissions in diploma and advance diploma courses at the department are yet to be carried out.
Established in 1964 at PU, the erstwhile Department of Central Asian Studies was renamed ‘Department of Chinese and Tibetan Languages’ in 2003.
A faculty member of the department, on the condition of anonymity, said, “There could be various reasons for the drop in students this year, including the delay in admissions. Also, the impression among the people may have been affected due to the worsening ties between India and China.”
Dean university instructions (DUI) RK Singla said, “Certificate courses get less response sometimes. Class 12 passouts have a lot of other options as well. We have asked the department to offer offline admissions, too.”
On the other hand, the department of French and Francophone studies has received around 400 applications against 200 total seats for admission in the certificate course in French language.