Confirming this, the Registrar of Madhya Pradesh Medical Science University, Jabalpur, PS Baghel, informed that even though MBBS studies in Hindi have started in all the government medical colleges of the State, not a single student has written answers in Hindi in the last three years. According to him, all the MBBS students write answers in English in the exam.
MBBS in Hindi medium was first introduced in Madhya Pradesh around three years ago. The initiative was launched on October 16, 2022, in Bhopal by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The State of Madhya Pradesh translated the anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology textbooks for the first-year medical students into Hindi in October 2022. At the same time, the Ministry also introduced the Anuwadani App to translate technical books into regional languages, including Hindi.
Even though the Government had claimed that introducing MBBS in Hindi would benefit those students who study in Hindi medium and take admission in medical courses, speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, medical college students informed that they preferred giving importance to English instead of Hindi considering their future. Meanwhile, the Dean of Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal claimed that there has not been much change in the way of teaching since the curriculum in Hindi has been available.
As per the latest media report by Dainik Bhaskar, even those who studied from Hindi medium background are opting for MBBS in English. Speaking to the Daily, an MBBS student, who hails from Sidhi and who was admitted to the medical college in 2022, said that he appeared in his 12th exam and the NEET exams in Hindi.
"When I took admission in medical course, I was afraid that how will I study in English? How will I give the exam? When I came here, I came to know that there are Hindi books. When I went to the classroom, the teacher communicates with the students in Hindi only, even if the slides are in English. After this my fear went away. I saw that the English books were written in Hindi. Only the English words were written in Hindi. I started reading English books. After this, the language of the exam was also English," he told the Daily.
He added that in three years, he did not write a single exam in Hindi even though his English is not that good. He informed that he writes enough English that the teacher can understand it. Further, the student claimed that even those who get admitted from Hindi medium, start writing in English later. Many of their teachers also studied in Hindi medium and later wrote exams in English, informed the student. When asked which of the two languages he would give more importance to in the future, he chose English.
Meanwhile, a third year student from Gandhi Medical College claimed that there was not much difference between the books in Hindi and English since the medical terms are written in Hindi. She explained that 'liver' is not written as 'yakrit', but it is written as 'liver'.
Reading out a paragraph from an anatomy book, the student explained that since the medical terms are written in Hindi language, most of the students study in English. According to the student, they use Hindi books as reference books and if they are unable to understand a paragraph in English, they look at it in a Hindi book to understand the same. However, they take notes and write exams in English only, because it is easier for them.
Commenting on the situation, MPMSU Registrar PS Baghel said that till now there was no compulsion or option to choose the medium of instruction in the exam form that the students fill. He added that till now it was believed that the students would have to write the exam in English only. Even when MBBS in Hindi was introduced three years ago, no such compulsion was kept. He added that even though the students could write their answers in both languages, most of the students chose the English language.
Baghel also referred to the recent announcement of the Government to give rewards to students for opting for MBBS in Hindi and writing the exam in Hindi language.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported how the State Government announced various incentives for MBBS and BDS students who opt to pursue their undergraduate medical MBBS and dental courses in Hindi medium. It was announced that such students would get a 50% discount on their examination fees, and they would also receive financial rewards if they secure ranks in the University Examination. Madhya Pradesh will be the first state in the country to give such rewards and reduce the exam fees by half to encourage Hindi.
Meanwhile, the Dean of GMC Bhopal, Kavita Singh, said that even before the implementation of the Hindi curriculum, MBBS classes were usually taught in 'Hinglish' i.e. half in English and half in Hindi. The written work was completely in English. However, after starting the curriculum in Hindi, teachers were told to write in Hindi as well and try to include Hindi content in their presentation.
She said that Gandhi Medical College has been made the nodal agency for the Hindi curriculum. She informed that the translated books of all subjects into Hindi. However, these books have been prepared not in pure Hindi but in a mixed language. Therefore, if the student wants, he can write the answer in either of the two languages, Hindi or English. The same rule applies to the faculty.
On 2nd July, the members of the Official Language Committee of Parliament visited Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal and talked to students and teachers and understood the challenges faced in teaching Hindi.
Speaking to Bhaskar, the committee's convenor and MP Ujjwal Singh Raman said that the committee visited GMC Bhopal to see if this model could be implemented in the rest of the country. In the meeting, it came to light that the children who study in Hindi medium and get admitted to MBBS courses use Hindi books, whereas the children studying in English medium are not interested in it.
Approximately 10 to 15% of the students come from the Hindi medium. Therefore, among 2000 MBBS seats, only 200 students are from Hindi medium.
When asked regarding any discussion on the use of Hindi in PG and research, he said that right now the focus is only on MBBS and bringing hindi in PG and research will be a gradual process.
Also Read: Cash Reward, 50 percent Discount on Exam Fee for Students opting for MBBS in Hindi in MP
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