13 govt. nursing colleges in Andhra to have foreign language courses

The government has issued an order for the introduction of foreign language courses for students pursuing nursing in the State.

As per G.O. Rt. No. 121, the course would be introduced in 13 government nursing colleges initially and would be extended to other colleges gradually.

It may be noted that Health and Human Resource Development ministers Y. Satya Kumar and N. Lokesh had asked the officials concerned to explore the possibility of introducing foreign language courses for nursing students.

The Directorate of Medical Education and A.P. Nursing and Midwives Council, in association with A.P. State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC), has proposed integrating foreign language courses into the nursing curriculum after a study revealed strong student interest in learning foreign languages for career advancement.

In the order, Director of Medical Education G.S.V.L. Narasimham said the Health Department and APSSDC would launch an initiative aimed at providing nursing professionals with the language skills necessary to communicate effectively with diverse patient populations and meet international healthcare standards.

Currently, 150 nursing graduates in the State are undergoing training in German, according to the order. The government plans to expand the programme to include languages such as Italian, Japanese and English (OET/IELTS) as well.

The government has accorded permission to teach these courses outside the fixed class hours.