Punjabi curriculum: Education officers to be held responsible for defaulter schools in Jalandhar

This year, in November, while celebrating the 50th anniversary of Punjab Day the government had asked the schools to implement Punjabi in schools. (Sikander Singh Chopra/HT Photo)

The state government has asked the education officers to send report of the private schools not teaching Punjabi. As per the government instructions the officers will be held responsible if the private schools are found violating the orders.

This year in November, the government had celebrated 50th anniversary of Punjab Day and had asked the schools to implement Punjabi in schools. The state education department in a recent circular addressed to the education officers had said that it has come to the notice that despite the announcement, there are private schools who have not implemented the orders and are not teaching the subject.

Deputy commissioner Kamal Kishor Yadav had last year also instructed the education and language department to take stern action against the schools not teaching Punjabi till Class 10 in a meeting with the representatives of all private schools and educational institutes to implement the Punjab State Language Act 2008 in true spirit and manner. “The Punjab government has implemented the Punjab State Language Act which bounds all educational institutions to teach Punjabi besides recruiting Punjabi teachers for the same,” said Yadav.

Taking note of the reports to restrict the students from speaking Punjabi in classes by few schools, the deputy commissioner had asked the district education officer Harinder Pal Singh and district language officer Amarjit Kaur to inspect the schools on random basis. He has asked the said officers to prepare a detailed report regarding the schools in every tehsil and submit the report regarding the implementation of Language Act in the schools across the district. Even education minister Daljit Singh Cheema had said that the school education should be given in one’s main language so that the students excel in every subject and it will also help in the personality development. Notably, in 2008, the Akali-BJP regime enacted the Punjabi Language Act to ensure mandatory teaching of Punjabi from Class 1 in all schools of the state under which it had been made compulsory for every private school to teach Punjabi from class 1. It was also said that if any of the school fails to do so, it will have to pay fine and the affiliation of the defaulter schools will be cancelled. But the government in a recent circular said that nothing was being done by the education officers, so they will be held responsible if the private schools fail to imply with the orders.

[“source-smallbiztrends”]