ALL DELHI SCHOOLS GET PUNJABI AND URDU TEACHERS

T he Arvind Kejriwal cabinet has approved the proposal for the creation of 610 posts of Urdu teachers and 769 posts of Punjabi language teachers. This will make every government school in Delhi to have at least one teacher for instruction of Urdu and Punjabi language.

The decision was taken to facilitate the teaching and promotion of Punjabi and Urdu languages in Delhi schools. “The students who wish to opt for the language do not have to drop their choice just because of lack of teacher in a particular school,” said Education Minister Manish Sisodia.

“It usually happens that students who want to study any language, for instance Urdu; have to drop the idea because there are no teachers in the school who can teach the subject. So, this is just a move to bridge that gap,” he added.

The decision has been hailed as an exemplary effort to promote “the heritage of languages.” It was the decision of the Chief Minister to provide an Urdu and a Punjabi language teaching faculty apart from Sanskrit teacher in all Government Schools in Delhi up to the Secondary Level which he took on 24 May 2016.

At present, out of a total of 1024 Government schools in Delhi, Punjabi is taught in about 24 per cent schools and Urdu is taught in about 25 per cent schools. In the academic year 2015-16, 28,612 students opted for Punjabi language and 82,341 students opted Urdu language at the time of admission.

This decision will make the coverage of Urdu and Punjabi teaching 100 per cent in government schools of Delhi, facilitating the students who want to opt these languages.

It was one of the promises of the Aam Aadmi Party in its election manifesto that it would promote Punjabi and Urdu languages in Delhi.