Disadvantages of Bilingual Medical Education

    The urge to become excellent and world-class doctors forces many Indian medical aspirants to study MBBS in abroad. There are various medical universities in abroad offering the best quality medical education to their international students in English as well as in other languages. MBBS in itself is a difficult course to pursue and studying it in a completely new language makes it even more troublesome for the students. Choosing a bilingual medical university abroad for your MBBS studies is easy but pursuing your medical education in two totally different languages comes with many challenges. Here are some:

    1. Challenging at the beginning

    One of the main disadvantages of bilingual medical education is the difficulty in learning a new language at the beginning. Apart from learning a new international language, they also have to keep a track of their studies. So, Indian medical students in medical universities abroad may find the first few months of bilingual MBBS studies hard and sometimes forcing them to opt for a university transfer abroad.

    2. Require more time to learn

    Indian students taking admission to bilingual medical universities abroad need more time to learn. They will require more time to understand lessons in a foreign language compared to learning the same tasks in English. Hence, students in foreign medical universities struggle to achieve their educational goals. 

    3. Lack of understanding of some topics

    During bilingual medical education, Indian students focus more on learning a new language rather than concentrating on the topics in the class. If a student has problems understanding a certain topic, the trouble may increase if it is taught in a completely new language. This could lead to a poor quality learning experience and poor quality education.

    3. Inconsistency

    As a second language is more of an option for Indian students studying MBBS in abroad, they might lose interest in the language after a certain time. This brings an inconsistency in the ability in grasping the language. 

    4. Bilingual education is expensive

    Not all medical universities in abroad are bilingual as teaching a foreign language is expensive and cannot be afforded by all. A medical university teaching MBBS abroad in a single language is affordable and often preferred by medical aspirants worldwide. 

    5. Less time for other activities

    Medical universities abroad ensure the overall development of students. Not just do they concentrate on providing the best quality medical education to their students, but they also take care of creative opportunities, athletic opportunities, and much more. But bilingual universities abroad concentrate more on their education and less time is left for students for leisure activities. As a result, the interest of medical students in bilingual education gets reduced over time and they will no longer participate in this type of medical education. 

    6. Lack of qualified faculties and teachers

    To ensure the efficacy of bilingual medical education, it should be immersive. The faculty members and teachers must be fluent in both the languages and patient at the same time while teaching a new language to the students. As not all professors, teachers and faculties are capable enough to teach MBBS in bilingual languages, there is a significant gap noticed in the teaching methods. 

    7. Increased stress levels among students 

    Apart from learning medical education at a medical university abroad in English, students also have to struggle to study MBBS in a foreign language at the same time. Not all of them find it easy to adjust to this kind of education. This could lead to stress among students or even end up leading to mental issues. 

    8. Extensive planning and administrative efforts

    Bilingual medical education requires more planning and organization efforts as compared to the regular form of education. It is challenging to plan and schedule classes while maintaining a balance between English and the second language. As only a few teachers will be available for teaching new languages, there can be difficulties in managing classes in their absence. 

    9. Wide gap in quality of bilingual education 

    Not all bilingual medical universities in abroad have good quality bilingual education. And not all Indian medical aspirants are fortunate to get MBBS admission abroad in top bilingual medical universities. So, this becomes a huge challenge for the students.

    The Final Words

    Bilingual medical education seems like a big opportunity to many Indian students who are soon going to start their medical studies in a foreign country. But the hidden challenges are many as they not just have to adjust to the new culture of a country but also have to study MBBS abroad in an entirely new language. The pressure of studying the same curriculum in two different languages would be immense and some might just take a university transfer to a university where MBBS is only taught in English. 

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