Amritsar, Apr 1 (PTI) Acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj on Tuesday emphasised that the mother tongue is the soul of a thriving community, making it their duty to preserve and promote the Punjabi language.
He pointed out that the concerns he raised about challenges to the Punjabi language during his recent address at 'Hola Mohalla' were now proving true.
Takht Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Gargajj said with new school admissions underway in Punjab, reports indicate that many CBSE-affiliated schools have made English and Hindi mandatory while keeping Punjabi as an optional subject. This is unacceptable, he said.
This reflects the growing "negligence" towards Punjabi, contrary to the government's claims of implementing it, he said in a statement.
Gargajj asserted that under such circumstances, it becomes imperative to ensure that Punjabi is taught from the nursery class in every school in Punjab.
"The Punjab government must ensure that Punjabi is made mandatory from the nursery class in all schools, regardless of the board they are affiliated with. But currently, many schools start teaching Punjabi from the first grade, which distances children from their mother tongue", said the Jathedar.
He also stressed that not just the government but parents too have a responsibility to encourage their children to learn Punjabi from the beginning.
Many parents believe that early education in English will benefit their child but scientific studies have shown that unless children have a strong grasp of their mother tongue, they cannot excel in other languages either, he said.
While the knowledge of multiple languages is beneficial, Gargajj emphasised that in Punjab, priority should be given to Punjabi.
He called upon every Punjabi to come forward to safeguard the Punjabi language.
He urged all language activists to take a pledge and inspect schools in their respective areas to identify those schools that are not teaching Punjabi from the nursery class.
A list of such schools should be compiled and presented to the Akal Takht for further action, he said.