The Punjab government, on Wednesday, February 26, issued a notification making Punjabi a mandatory main subject in all schools across the state, regardless of their educational board affiliation. The notification states that education certificates will be considered null and void without Punjabi as a main subject.
Earlier in the day, the Telangana government announced that Telugu would be a compulsory subject from Class 1 to 10 in all schools in the state irrespective of the boards. These actions come at a time when the Tamil Nadu government is locked in a battle with the Union government over the three language policy mandated by the National Education Policy. Tamil Nadu has opposed the policy citing that three languages was just an excuse to impose Hindi on children.
Punjab State Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains lashed out at the CBSE's new exam pattern for its marginalisation of the Punjabi language. Bains told the media that Punjabi is spoken and read in multiple states, extending its significance beyond Punjab's borders.
"Punjabi is not just a language; it is a symbol of our rich cultural heritage, spoken and cherished by millions across the country,” he said, adding the current situation was an attempt to erase Punjabi from the educational landscape.
Demanding the action for ignoring Punjabi in a draft education policy, Bains said he would write a letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to fix the responsibility of officials concerned, who had committed this grave injustice to the state.
He said the CBSE must understand that this is not a matter of choice, but a matter of national importance. "This is a blatant disregard for the rights of states and federal structure, and a direct assault on our nation’s linguistic diversity."
"We can’t tolerate this blatant attempt to impose a singular narrative on our nation,” the Education Minister said, adding: "We demand that the CBSE respect the federal structure of India and ensure that all languages, including Punjabi, are given the prominence they deserve."
Underscoring the government’s firm stance of ensuring Punjabi remains an integral part of the state’s educational framework, Bains said the state government imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on a Mohali-based private school, Amity International School, for failing to comply with the Punjab Learning of Punjabi and Other Languages Act, 2008.
According to a report of the District Education Officer (Secondary), the school was found to be in violation of the Act, which mandates the teaching of Punjabi as a compulsory subject. Two Jalandhar-based schools were also penalised for violating this act. He said Punjab would bring its own education policy and a committee of experts will be constituted soon for this purpose.
(With IANS inputs)