Punjabi textbook board to be history soon

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 3

It was Mahatma Gandhi’s dream to disseminate knowledge in native languages. The setting up of Punjab State University Textbook Board in 1970 was a step in this direction. But the state government has moved a proposal to shut down the pioneering institution, which was instrumental in publishing more than 350 textbook titles in Punjabi language.

As per a proposal moved recently, the Director, Punjab State University Textbook Board, has requested the Department of Higher Education to merge the board with the state Language Department.

The proposal was prepared on the recommendation of the Finance Department as at present, of the total 40, there are just six employees (three clerks and four from group-D) left. In the proposal, it has been observed that the Language Department and the board have identical mandate, so the board can be merged and the books lying with the board can be sold off by the department through its sale network.

Another reason given in the proposal is that since various universities and educational institutions have established their own publication bureaus, the board has lost its relevant.

The decline in the performance of the board started in 1998, when the government stopped appointing a regular director and the charge of the post remained with IAS officers. Before that the board had produced some technical glossaries and English-Punjabi dictionaries as per its mandate of scientific development of Punjabi language. It used to have an annual sale of Rs 1 crore. Even at present the board has books worth Rs 2.5 crore lying in its stores.

Dr Gursharan Singh, former director of the board, who was associated with it since its inception, said the board was constituted to realise the dream of Mahatma Gandhi to disseminate knowledge in local languages. “Such boards were established in all Indian languages.”

He said the idea of merging the board with the Language Department would be disastrous as the mandate of both the departments was completely different. “The Language Department’s mandate is to promote creative literature and the board is purely for the promotion of scientific books,” he added.