Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday said Punjabi had been made mandatory for Classes I to 10 in the state.
Taking to Twitter, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said : “To promote mother tongue, Punjabi has been made a compulsory subject for all students from Classes 1 to 10 in Punjab. In case of any violation, schools will be penalised up to Rs 2 lakh. Now, #Punjabi is mandatory in offices. Also, Punjabi will be written on top of all boards in the state.”
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On November 11, the Punjab Cabinet passed 15 Bills, including two significant bills related to the Punjabi language which included ‘Punjabi and Other Languages Education (Amendment) Bill, 2021’ and ‘Punjab State Language (Amendment) Bill 2021’. Punjabi and Other Languages Education (Amendment) Bill, 2021, makes Punjabi a compulsory subject for all students from Classes 1 to 10 in schools across the state. It also provides for levying of fine on educational institutions not complying with this mandate, of up to Rs 2 lakh.
The Punjab Chief Minister had wanted Punjabi as one of the main subjects. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had then clarified that all regional languages have been kept in the category of minor subjects for the first term exams for Classes 10 and 12.
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"I firmly oppose the CBSE's authoritarian decision to keep Punjabi out of the main subjects. This is against the federal spirit of Constitution, violating the right of Punjabi youth to learn their native language. I condemn this biased exclusion of Punjabi," Charanjit Singh Channi had tweeted.
-PTC News