Punjab Govt Makes 'Punjabi' Mandatory In All Schools Across State

Chandigarh: In a move to counter, what it termed as a "well-planned conspiracy" of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to marginalise regional languages by bringing out the new exam pattern, Punjab government, on Wednesday 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 as null and void without Punjabi as a main subject.

Notably, the CBSE was quick to issue a clarification after Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains lashed out at CBSE's new exam pattern which he termed as its conspiracy to marginalise the Punjabi language.

Pertinently, Bains’ criticism was over CBSE’s draft norms for class X board exams, which initially excluded Punjabi from the list of regional languages; However, the CBSE later clarified that the draft norms were only indicative and assured that no subjects would be dropped.

Addressing newspersons Wednesday evening, Bains held 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 that 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 that he would write a letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to fix the responsibility of concerned officials, who had committed this grave injustice to the state.