Recently, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had brought a new examination system and sidelined Punjabi as a regional language, creating a political controversy in Punjab. The Punjab government had immediately termed this central decision as an attack on Punjabi, while the opposition parties had also targeted the central government. After the political uproar, the CBSE has clarified that the draft norms for the Class 10 board examinations are only indicative and no subject will be left out. Despite this, the Punjab government had recently announced a step forward by issuing a notification to make Punjabi a compulsory main subject in all schools across the state, irrespective of which educational board they are affiliated to. According to this notification, certificates of schools that do not teach Punjabi as a main subject will not be recognized. Meanwhile, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that Punjab will bring its own education policy and a committee of experts will be formed soon for this purpose. It is worth mentioning here that the learning of Punjabi was made mandatory in all schools in Punjab by the Parkash Singh Badal government through the Punjab Learning of Punjabi and Other Languages Act, 2008.
Later, in November 2021, the Charanjit Singh Channi-led Congress government increased the fines for schools violating the order by amending the Act.
However, this issue goes beyond compulsory teaching of Punjabi in schools, as many private schools in cities and other urban areas actively prevent students from conversing in Punjabi and teach Punjabi language. But the Punjab government is not taking any action. It is noteworthy that the Punjab government has not issued any new notification.
In at least two of its letters in the last 10 years, the state education department has advised to deal strictly against this trend, seeing it. However, a ground investigation shows that this trend continues unabated. The then Principal Secretary of School Education Anjali Bhawra, in a letter written to all Deputy Commissioners on February 19, 2015, on the eve of International Mother Language Day on February 21, had asked them to ensure that Punjabi is properly taught in all private schools up to class 10 as per the Punjab Official Language Act 2008.
Her letter also mentioned that the government has received reports that students are being punished for speaking in Punjabi, which is not only disrespectful to the mother tongue but also a violation of the fundamental rights of children.
In February 2019, the then Education Secretary Krishan Kumar once again raised the issue in his letter to the Central Board of Secondary Education and the Indian School Certificate Examination Council. He asked the presidents of both the institutions to ensure that all schools affiliated to them in Punjab teach Punjabi as a compulsory subject, as mandated by the state law, and also asked them to issue instructions that their schools should not prevent children from speaking Punjabi.
He said that his department has received complaints that some schools are preventing students from speaking Punjabi during school hours among students or in informal discussions between students and teachers. Krishan Kumar argued in his letter that this has an adverse effect on the mental development of students as some of them may find it difficult to express themselves. He also issued instructions to the District Education Officers (Secondary) to take action if any such complaint comes to their notice.
In 2019, state education minister O.P. Soni had said that no person or school can be allowed to instill inferiority complex in children towards their mother tongue by preventing them from speaking Punjabi or by not teaching Punjabi language compulsorily as per the state law.
Punjab Jagriti Manch President Satnam Singh Manak said, “There is a strong trend in most private schools to prevent students from conversing in Punjabi and instilling an inferiority complex in them. The state government needs to take action against this anti-Punjabi trend, which is causing a lot of damage to the Punjabi language and the identity of the people here. CBSE and CISCE should also issue instructions in this regard to their respective schools in Punjab.”
