Punjab government should ensure the teaching of Punjabi from nursery class in every school in the state: Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargajj

Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, the acting Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, said in a statement issued from the office secretariat of Sri Akal Takht Sahib that the mother tongue has the same importance in the life of a person as the mother who gives birth and the earth. He said that the mother tongue is the life and soul of the awakening nations, therefore it is our duty to preserve the Punjabi language and promote it. He said that the challenges to the Punjabi language that he had mentioned during his address on the occasion of Hola Mohalla are proving to be true today. New admissions to schools have started in Punjab and reports are being received from many schools affiliated to CBSE that the school administrators have kept English and Hindi languages ​​as compulsory and Punjabi as an option, which is not tolerable. This situation shows the growing neglect towards the Punjabi language, while the government’s claims of implementing Punjabi say something else. Jathedar Gargajj said that in such a situation, it becomes mandatory that Punjabi language should be taught in every school in Punjab from nursery class. Most schools teach Punjabi from class one, which is tantamount to keeping children away from their mother tongue. The Punjab government should ensure that Punjabi is taught in every school in the state from nursery class, irrespective of which board the school is affiliated to. Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargajj said that it is not only the government but also the responsibility of the parents to encourage their children to study Punjabi from the very beginning. Many parents believe that with basic education of English, the child will become talented in this language, but it has been scientifically proven that unless the child has a complete grasp of his mother tongue, he cannot be proficient in any other language. He said that it is good to have knowledge of other languages, but teaching Punjabi should be given priority as soon as the child’s education starts in Punjab. Questioning the parents of those children, he said that the Gurbani of the holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib is in Gurmukhi and if we do not teach our children Gurmukhi Punjabi, how will they connect with Gurbani. Jathedar Gargajj said that every Punjabi should come forward to protect the mother tongue Punjabi. All the activists of the Punjabi language should make this their resolution and go to their areas and see which schools are not teaching Punjabi from nursery. After preparing a list of such schools, this matter should be placed before Sri Akal Takht Sahib, so that further action can be taken. He said that every Punjabi son and daughter needs to stand firm against the attacks on the existence of Punjabi.