A special event was organised under the aegis of the Indian High Commission in London on occasion of International Mother’s Language Day recently
Punjabi Bhasha Chetna Board UK, in a memorandum, has urged the British government to include Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Nepalese, Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu and Marathi in the school curriculum in Britain. The memorandum has been submitted to Minister of State for Schools Nick Gibb and Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan.
A special event was organised under the aegis of the Indian High Commission in London on occasion of International Mother’s Language Day recently. Besides the Indian High Commissioner to UK, Vikram K. Doraiswami, also present on the occasion was Bangladeshi High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem, Punjabi Bhasha Chetna Board Director Harmeet Singh Bhakna and other community leaders from the diaspora, many wearing traditional attires.
Bhakna said, “With changing demographics in the UK, it is the need of the hour that South Asian languages including, Punjabi, are provided as optional subjects to schoolchildren. My journey started with lobbying for Punjabi language. But powers that be always quoted The Equality Act saying it was not possible to include only Punjabi. So, we have now requested 10 languages to be added to the curriculum so that they can get the same treatment as French,” reported The Indian Express.
“We in India are a nation of many languages…you, the Indian diaspora, have brought your language and your culture here. You have celebrated and retained your link to your ancestral home country in South Asia. Your language and your efforts to protect your language and take it forward through your children and their children is what makes you very special people.”
— Indian High Commissioner Doraiswami
The memorandum, which was given to a government representative, state, “As per census March 2021, more than 1.4 million residents identified South Asian languages as their main language. There will be millions more secondary speakers of these languages in the United Kingdom. As a vibrant and inclusive society, it is high time that students of UK learn these languages as part of their school curriculum.” The memorandum urged the government to include Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Nepalese, Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu and Marathi in the school curriculum.
Bhakna is supported in his efforts by Sanathan Sanstha UK’s C K Naidu who also wants South Asian languages to be taught in all schools in England. This, they believe will strengthen UK’s relationship with South Asia.
Speaking on the occasion, High Commissioner Doraiswami said, “We in India are a nation of many languages…you, the Indian diaspora, have brought your language and your culture here. You have celebrated and retained your link to your ancestral home country in South Asia. Your language and your efforts to protect your language and take it forward through your children and their children is what makes you very special people.”
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