Patna, Aug. 18: The students of JD Women’s College today learnt the importance of English if they wanted to excel at a national-level University Grants Commission workshop on “Globalisation, national integration and English teaching in India”.

The English department had organised the two-day workshop to let students and teachers come together and discuss the significance of the language in contemporary times. The workshop was inaugurated by lighting the lamp by teachers of different colleges like S.S. Prasad, the former head of English department, Patna University, R.K. Shiromani, K.V. Dominic, Prabhat Mishra, Lata Mishra, B. Das and Usha Singh, followed by a welcome song and dance by the students of the department.

Singh, the principal of the college, thanked the teachers and students present at the workshop. She said: “English is the global language as it is spoken and understood by the people all over the world. In order to keep pace with the world, we need to improvise on our language skills. Not only theoretical knowledge or grammar, we need to speak with the right pronunciation as well.”

She added: “The main purpose of this workshop is to tell students that if one wants to excel in life, he or she needs to work on English.”

Prasad, the chief guest, said: “I am happy to be part of this workshop as the topic is relevant. Language is a chain, which binds people all over the world. It is important to have teachers who use the language with confidence. The teachers need to focus more on speaking rather than imparting theoretical knowledge. We need to enjoy the language and only then can we learn it. The other way to learn the language is to watch English news channels on television. There should be regular recitation tests and group discussions for the students.”

Gurpreet, a third-year English student, said: “These workshops are very important, as teachers give us tips on how to excel in life.”