CHANDIGARH: In a powerful and unyielding move, Punjab Government has once again jostled to wake the central government out of its deep slumber, demanding immediate action to restore Punjabi as a main subject in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum for Class 10 in Punjab, besides demanding inclusion of Punjabi language in the list of regional languages across India, ensuring that students nationwide have the option to study it.
Punjab School Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains, in a strongly-worded letter written to Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, on Thursday, has expressed its strongest objection and deep resentment over the deliberate sidelining of Punjabi in the recently proposed CBSE exam pattern for Class 10 (2025-26), urging the central government to intervene and rectify what he termed as a direct attack on the linguistic and cultural identity of Punjab.
The letter came close on the heels of the Punjab government’s notification issued on February 26, 2025, which made Punjabi a mandatory main subject in all schools across the state, regardless of their educational board affiliation. The notification states that education certificates will be considered as null and void without Punjabi as a main subject.
In his letter, S. Harjot Singh Bains stated that as per the new scheme, only five main subjects-Mathematics, Science, Social Science, English, and Hindi-have been listed for regular board exams, effectively removing Punjabi from the category of main subjects and relegating it to an optional language, whose exam will be held alongside foreign languages in a single day. This is an unacceptable attempt to diminish Punjabi and cannot be tolerated, the letter reads.
“Additionally, Punjabi was omitted from the list of regional and foreign languages, while languages like German, French, Thai, and Japanese were included. It was only after my strong protest and media pressure that CBSE was forced to acknowledge this grave mistake, ” he stated in his letter citing it as a deliberate move and a systematic effort to weaken Punjabi, which must be investigated.
He emphasised that Punjabi, one of India’s most widely spoken languages, is not just a medium of communication but a cornerstone of Punjab’s rich cultural heritage. Punjab has made immense sacrifices for the nation-during the freedom struggle and in safeguarding national security.
Citing that this move has hurt the sentiment of every Punjabi and such omission cannot be just termed as a clerical error, S. Harjot Singh Bains through his letter demanded a full investigation into this exclusion. “Also, I demand an immediate rollback of this discriminatory draft being violation of the State Law and a clear assurance that Punjabi will be reinstated as a main subject in CBSE schools across Punjab, ” the letter further reads.