Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 21: Demanding revocation or modification of Education Department’s order excluding Punjabi as compulsory subject, various Sikh organizations have threatened stir if necessary amendment in the order is not done.
The warning was issued during a joint press conference of various Sikh organizations, including State Gurudwara Parbandhak Board, District Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Shiromani Akali Dal Badal, Punjabi Lekhak Sabha Jammu, Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar, Sikh Students Federation and various Sikh Naujwan Sabhas of Jammu, here today.
While talking to media persons, Tarlochan Singh Wazir, president State Gurudwara Prabandhak Board, alleged that discriminatory treatment was being given to Punjabi language in J&K, which was evident from the recent circular issued by Education Department of J&K, vide No. 333-Edu of 2017, dated 19.06.2017.
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“According to this order, Kashmiri, Dogri and Bodhi have been made sixth compulsory subject (graded) in the areas where such languages are spoken as mother tongue and Punjabi has again been ignored, which not only speaks of the highest discriminatory and partial attitude of the present Coalition Government but also shows their real intentions particularly towards the minority Sikh community,” he said.
Wazir claimed that because of Punjabi language having been given recognition and guarantee under Article 146, Schedule VI of Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, it becomes obligatory on the part of J&K Government to make all efforts for the promotion of this language in addition to other languages. Any attempt to pick and choose defeats the Constitutional guarantee, thereof, he added.
“Punjabi language is the only language which has been taught in the schools of Jammu and Kashmir for the last one century. Till 1981 Punjabi was a compulsory subject upto tenth class and the students had the option to take Hindi /Urdu or Punjabi as one of the Subjects in Board classes, but after that it was made optional subject and every effort was made to make it reach near extinction by the successive Governments,” he said.
Wazir further alleged that under a calculated conspiracy, no syllabus of Punjabi has been made and only the books upto 5th standard have been published for Punjabi students. “No books for 6th to 8th standard have been prepared and published, intentionally by the J&K BOSE,” he said and further claimed that numbers of Punjabi lecturers of Higher Secondary Schools have been converted to other subjects under this well knit conspiracy against the microscopic minority of the State.
Those, who were present in the press conference, included S Jagjit Singh (president DGPC Jammu), Avtar Singh Khalsa, Mannohan Singh, Jathedar Mohinder Singh, Jaspal Singh Mangal, Gurdev Singh, Rajinder Singh, Manjit Singh, Balvinder Singh and others.
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