ASSEMBLY RESOLVES TO MAKE PUNJABI MUST
Chandigarh March 26:
Not using Punjabi in their offices could now land top bureaucrats in the state in trouble. Worried over negligible use of the official language in official work, Punjab’s lawmakers passed a resolution urging the state government to make Punjabi mandatory in offices and punish violators.
This followed as members expressed anguish over negligible use of Punjabi language in official work despite the fact that Punjab was re-organised on the basis of language over four decades ago after a protracted struggle by Punjabis. The proposed legislation should make teaching of Punjabi compulsory up to class X in all schools in the state irrespective of their character — whether private-aided or unaided or affiliated to CBSE or any other board.
However, only 90% of schools have Punjabi as compulsory subject up to class X while the remaining schools, affiliated to CBSE or ICSE, including Navodaya and Kendriya Vidyalyas, permit students to have alternate language in lieu of Punjabi from class IX onwards, education and language minister Upinderjit Kaur said.
While granting permission for affiliation with CBSC or ICSE, New Delhi, Punjab government imposes a condition that Punjabi will be taught as compulsory subject up to class X, Kaur said. States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh had made it mandatory for schools in their states to teach the native language irrespective of their character, she said.
When asked if the government move won’t create problems for children of those who are in the state only for a few years, Kaur said that learning an additional language would be a step towards national integration. "We don’t mind our children learning Marathi or Tamil while studying in those states," she added.
Earlier, responding to a call attention motion by Ajit Inder Singh Mofar of Congress over non-use of Punjabi language in government offices, Kaur conceded that many officers including some senior IAS and IPS officers were not using Punjabi because there was no penal clause for not using language.
Source : Punjab Mail Online
Chandigarh March 26:
Not using Punjabi in their offices could now land top bureaucrats in the state in trouble. Worried over negligible use of the official language in official work, Punjab’s lawmakers passed a resolution urging the state government to make Punjabi mandatory in offices and punish violators.
This followed as members expressed anguish over negligible use of Punjabi language in official work despite the fact that Punjab was re-organised on the basis of language over four decades ago after a protracted struggle by Punjabis. The proposed legislation should make teaching of Punjabi compulsory up to class X in all schools in the state irrespective of their character — whether private-aided or unaided or affiliated to CBSE or any other board.
However, only 90% of schools have Punjabi as compulsory subject up to class X while the remaining schools, affiliated to CBSE or ICSE, including Navodaya and Kendriya Vidyalyas, permit students to have alternate language in lieu of Punjabi from class IX onwards, education and language minister Upinderjit Kaur said.
While granting permission for affiliation with CBSC or ICSE, New Delhi, Punjab government imposes a condition that Punjabi will be taught as compulsory subject up to class X, Kaur said. States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh had made it mandatory for schools in their states to teach the native language irrespective of their character, she said.
When asked if the government move won’t create problems for children of those who are in the state only for a few years, Kaur said that learning an additional language would be a step towards national integration. "We don’t mind our children learning Marathi or Tamil while studying in those states," she added.
Earlier, responding to a call attention motion by Ajit Inder Singh Mofar of Congress over non-use of Punjabi language in government offices, Kaur conceded that many officers including some senior IAS and IPS officers were not using Punjabi because there was no penal clause for not using language.
Source : Punjab Mail Online
