Loreto college had announced that those who completed their school education in vernacular medium would not be considered for undergraduate admissions.
A premier college in West Bengal’s Kolkata issued an apology on Wednesday after facing flak for denying admission to students from non-English medium schools. Loreto College, which is affiliated with University of Calcutta, was forced to withdraw its discriminatory admission policy after facing huge backlash on social media.
Admissions to undergraduate courses began in West Bengal on Saturday and the Catholic institution had announced online that applicants from Bengali and Hindi-medium schools were not welcome. Along with the list of selected students for 2023-24 undergraduate studies, a note mentioned that candidates from vernacular medium schools were not considered for admission as all instructions, examinations and books at the institution are in English.
Established in 1912 near south Kolkata’s Park Street area, the college’s policy read, “All lectures at Loreto College are in English. Hence, fluency in English is very essential for a student to be able to understand/follow classes. The student must also be able to express herself freely in English to enable her to do well in her written work/viva voce. This applies to all subjects except Hindi and Bengali. Examinations will have to be answered only in English. Our reputed Open Shelf Library has only English reference/text books and journals for all subjects other than Vernacular Bengali and Hindi. The medium of instruction in Loreto College is ONLY English.”
However, the statements barring students from vernacular medium schools prompted critics to term it ‘colonial hangover’. The original note said, “From previous experience we strongly recommend that candidates hailing from vernacular medium schools opt to study in institutions where the medium of instruction is bilingual. Students whose medium of instruction in Class XlI was vernacular have not been considered for admission.”
After the controversial policy invited a notice from the University of Calcutta seeking an explanation from its principal, the college tendered an unconditional apology addressing the ‘people of Bengal’ for the admission notice which ‘does not reflect its values’.
“Loreto College has a rich legacy of service and all-around education for over 100 years in Bengal. The recent admission policy notice does not reflect the values we cherish. It is an unintended error from our side. [We] unconditionally apologise to the people of Bengal and revoke the said admission policy notice with immediate effect. We recommit ourselves to serving all of Bengal as we have always done,” a statement posted by the women’s college on Tuesday read.
In a statement issued after CU called Loreto College’s principal Christine Coutinho for a discussion, the institution said the policy was implemented to ease the language-specific barriers faced by students hailing from vernacular medium backgrounds. Asserting the intention was not to discriminate, the college apologised for hurting the sentiments of students.
“It was observed by teachers that the students who come from schools where the medium of instruction is not English face difficulty in following the lectures. Hence, it was a practical consideration so that the students do not feel uncomfortable in the atmosphere,” the statement read.
Source: Hindustan Times
