Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Tuesday expressed concern over the alleged neglect of Punjabi language in city government-run schools here.

Disposing a file with regards to a status report submitted by the Punjabi Academy, GNCTD, on the condition of Punjabi Language, Saxena has underlined many shortcomings and asked for a thorough re-examination.

According to the Delhi Official Language Act, 2000, in addition to Hindi and English, Punjabi and Urdu have been declared as the second official languages of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

The report was put up by the Punjabi Academy, Department of Art, Culture and Language, GNCTD, after a representation was made by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) to the LG and had subsequently been forwarded by the LG Secretariat to Art Culture and Language Department.

The Punjabi Academy was established by the erstwhile Delhi Administration, now Govt. of NCT of Delhi, as an autonomous organisation in the year 1981-82 for the propagation, promotion and development of Punjabi language, literature and culture as an integral part of the composite culture of the Union Territory of Delhi.

Observing that the report submitted by the Department is incomplete, inconclusive and does not reflect the whole picture with respect to the concerns raised by DSGMC, the LG has ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, directing the Chief Secretary, to examine the issue with all stakeholders.

Critical concerns, including a severe shortage of Punjabi teachers in schools run by both Delhi government and MCD and decreasing funding has been raised before the LG by various stakeholders in the past.

The note from LG office mentioned that 752 posts of TGT Punjabi and 4 posts of PGT Punjabi teachers are lying vacant in Schools of Education Department, GNCTD and Punjabi Academy could only spend only Rs. 19.99 Crore against the paltry Rs. 27.28 Crores allocated to it during FY 2023-24.

There has been a reduction of 17 percent in the budget allocation for the Punjabi Academy in the current fiscal year and similarly, a large number of positions of Punjabi Teachers in MCD schools also remain vacant, it added.

This acute teacher crisis has directly impacted the quality of Punjabi language education, hindering the development of linguistic skills and cultural understanding among students.