The Punjab Education Department is already running two other programmes to boost English speaking by providing ‘word of the day’ with entire history of that word, its meaning an usage and by forming ‘English booster clubs’ in government schools.
Bacheyan nu bhi rakh de loki door Punjabi ton, eddi bhi ki galti ho gayi boli sadhi ton, mile tarakki maa boli nu rolan vale nu, kayon desi samjhan loki Punjabi bolan vale nu (People keep their children away from Punjabi language. What mistake has our language made? Those who are ignoring their mother tongue are being promoted in their respective professions. Why do we take Punjabi speaking persons as rustics?).
Arman, a Class 10 student of Government Senior Secondary School, Pakhi Kalan, Faridkot, expressed herself by penning these lines in chaste Punjabi.
Jaspreet Kaur of Government Senior Secondary School spoke about the importance of Phulkari and traditional dresses while presenting her thoughts about Punjab’s heritage.
Like these two, there are many government school students are daily sharing short speeches about Punjabi language and heritage through the online education platform. All this is part of a new project for government schools called ‘Bol Punjabi Bol’ (Speak in Punjabi).
Punjab Education Department is already running two other programmes to boost English speaking by providing ‘word of the day’ with entire history of that word, its meaning an usage and by forming ‘English booster clubs’ in government schools.
Now, to boost Punjabi language, Education Department has started ‘Bol Punjabi Bol’.
Under Bol Punjabi Bol’, stress is being given on the Punjabi speaking along with English speaking. Students are made to pick topics related to Punjab’s heritage and culture and make speeches in Punjabi.
“We want that students must learn more and more languages and Punjabi is our mother tongue. But under the influence of the western culture people now preferring English by ignoring our own language,” said English subject teacher Chander Shekhar, adding that we want that they should be well versed in English as well as their mother tongue or any other language they want to learn.
“Our main aim is under ‘Bol Punjabi Bol’ to keep them connected with their roots as well as to make them as competitive as that they can face the world with confidence by learning English too,” said Secretary Education Krishan Kumar, adding that the knowledge of our heritage and culture will add in the personality development of the children.
Meanwhile, Punjabi is the first language of 130 million people in the world and 10th most spoken language globally.
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