Indian Nursing Council bats for foreign languages to be taught as value addition

New Delhi [India], August 4 : Nursing students can now opt to study a foreign language as an added advantage for overall personality development, according to the notification issued by the Indian Nursing Council on Friday. The notification says that in view of the "globalization of education" there is a need for a foreign language to be taught in nursing courses as a value addition.
"In the current changing global scenario, keeping in view the globalization of education, B.Sc.(N) syllabus has been prepared at par with global standards and competency-based nursing education. There is a need to add a foreign language to B.Sc.(N) and GNM program, as a value-added course to be opted by nursing students as an added advantage for overall personality development while pursuing their Degree / Diploma program in Nursing," said the notification.
"It is therefore, foreign language (eg. French, German, Greek, Latin, Irish, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese etc.) may be offered as an optional course/subject during the B.Sc.(N)/ GNM program,"  the notification added. 
The notification says that nursing institutions shall only charge "nil or nominal fees" to nursing students who desire to take any additional language module.
'Nursing students can take this additional foreign language course/ subject that can be taught by hiring a specific language teacher and the expenditure towards hiring the teacher will be borne by the respective Nursing Institution. Nil or Nominal fees to be charged from nursing students who desire to take any additional language module." it said.
The notification, however, instructs the institutions that they shall not compel students to take this optional language course.
"No Institution will compel any student to take this optional language course/ subject, which can be conducted after class hours/ leisure time. Credits/ hours earned shall be over and above the credit requirement prescribed in the curriculum for the award of degree/diploma and same be reflected in the transcript as an additional optional language." the notification said.