Punjabi gets stepmotherly treatment in schools: NGO

Gurvinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 13

A city-based NGO “Meri Maa Boli Sabha” has sent notification to schools in the state as government failed to ensure proper implementation of the Punjab, Punjabi and Learning of Other Languages Act, 2008, to make Punjabi a compulsory subject.

Mahinder Singh Sekhon, who is heading the NGO, said Punjabi is being taught as an optional subject instead of compulsory subject in schools which is in complete violation of the Act.

He urged parents and residents to send notifications to erring schools and said there are numerous institutes wherein a student is often explained topics related to maths, science, social science and other subjects in Hindi rather than in Punjabi.

Sekhon further said, “Affiliation of schools which do not follow the Act must be cancelled. I had sent notifications to some schools in Amritsar, and as result a couple of them have already started teaching Punjabi as a compulsory subject instead of optional.” He quipped schools in Ludhiana were violating the rule with impunity and notifications must be sent to these institutes as well.

“Students cannot be stopped from speaking mother tongue, however, it is being practiced mainly in private schools,” said Dr Amandeep Singh Bains of RBS Roots.

Raman, a parent said Hindi is being used and promoted to explain a topic to pupils instead of Punjabi. She said, “Despite Punjabi being a mother tongue, English and Hindi are favourite among teachers. Students get a feeling that Punjabi is an inferior language. This is wrong on part of schools.”

Sekhon said government must ensure that step motherly treatment is not meted out with Punjabi in schools. “It is not about being against a particular language, but other languages cannot be promoted at the cost of Punjabi,” he said.

Why schools can’t mention names in Punjabi

• Dr Bains of RBS Roots says: “Even though we are living in Punjab, none of the private school students write their name in Punjabi. The government shows lack of concern on this matter.”
• Mahinder S Sekhon from Meri Maa Boli Punjabi Sabha said: “Some of the institutes, including RS Model School, have its name written in Hindi, but hardly any school writes its name in Punjabi. There has been an attempt to divide languages in the name of religion.”