Shillong, April 12: The English and Foreign Languages (EFL) University, Shillong Campus celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on 9th and 10th of April. The Director In-charge of the Campus, Prof. A.K. Mishra inaugurated the two-day event held in the University Multi-Purpose Hall.
The celebration took off with academic lectures by the Director In-charge and Dr. Ravindra Kumar Vemula, Associate Professor and Head of Journalism and Mass Communication Department and plantation of trees by the Head of different departments.
The celebration commemorated the establishment of the present EFLU niversity which was then a dream of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, for an institution to impart quality training in English for teachers. In 1958, the Central Institute of English (CIE) was born. Gradually the Institute extended the scope of its goals to improve the standard of teaching of English, to undertake relevant research and to introduce the study of foreign languages.
It was therefore renamed the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (CIEFL) in 1972 with the addition of three major foreign languages – German, Russian and French.Venturing into newer territories like curriculum development, evaluation, and methodology, two new campuses were set up in Shillong (1973) and Lucknow (1979) to cater to the needs of language practitioners in the North East and the North India.
In 1973, CIEFL was awarded the status of a deemed universityand in 2006-2007, CIEFL became a central university by an Act of Parliament and was renamed as The English and Foreign Languages University that is dedicated to the study of English and ten foreign languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and Persian).
The only one of its kind in South Asia, the mandate of the University is to advance and disseminate instructional, research and extension facilities in the teaching of English and foreign languages and literatures in India as well as to take appropriate measures for interdisciplinary studies and research in literary and cultural studies and to develop critical intercultural understanding of civilizations.
The two-day celebrationincluded poetry writing, story writing, sketching and photography competitions among others. The celebration ended with a cultural event that showcased the diversity of cultures and traditions through folk songs, folk dances and traditional fashion show.
