Punjabi sidelined in Army Schools; Kalapeeth opposes mandatory Sanskrit policy
Ferozepur, May 16, 2026:
A controversy has erupted in Punjab over the alleged sidelining of Punjabi language in Army Public Schools functioning in the state, where Sanskrit has reportedly been introduced as a compulsory subject while Punjabi has been reduced to an additional optional language.
Strongly condemning the move, cultural and literary organization Kalapeeth Ferozepur termed it a direct attack on Punjab’s mother tongue and a violation of the state’s language laws and educational policies. Harmeet Vidyarthi, stated that while every language opens a new window to knowledge, imposing another language at the cost of Punjabi is unacceptable.
According to the organization, the Army Welfare Education Society (AWES) is obtaining consent from parents through declarations stating that their children are willing to study Punjabi only as an additional subject. Kalapeeth leaders alleged that this decision violates The Punjab Learning of Punjabi and Other Languages (Amendment) Act, 2008, under which Punjabi is mandatory up to Class 10 in every school across Punjab.
In a joint statement, Kalapeeth President Prof. Jaspal Ghai, General Secretary Sukhjinder, Prof. Gurtej Koharwala, Prof. Kuldeep, Rajiv Khayal, Surinder Kamboj, Sukhdev Bhatti and Harmeet Vidyarthi expressed deep concern over what they called an attempt to deprive Punjab’s children of their linguistic identity.
They further stated that the policy also contradicts the spirit of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), both of which advocate flexible curriculum choices, mother tongue-based education, and linguistic freedom for students.
The leaders pointed out that Punjabi has reportedly been placed as a fourth optional language and if fewer than 15 students opt for it, schools may not appoint a Punjabi teacher, forcing students to study the language independently from home.
Kalapeeth urged the Punjab Government to take strict action against what it described as an injustice and demanded that CBSE ensure all affiliated schools follow the prescribed language and education policies. The organisation also appealed to literary, cultural, student and teachers’ bodies across Punjab to unite against any attempts to gradually eliminate Punjabi from the education system.