New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has clarified that Punjabi will be included in its new twice-a-year board exam format. This comes after strong criticism from political leaders in Punjab.
A CBSE official stated that the current list of subjects is indicative and that Punjabi will be added next year. “There is no change in the subjects offered today. Next year, the Punjabi language examination will be there,” the official said.
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains had earlier criticized CBSE for allegedly dropping Punjabi from the scheme. He accused CBSE of attempting to erase Punjabi from the curriculum and demanded that it be recognized as a main language in Punjab and included as a regional language across India.
Akali Dal leader Parambans Romana also accused the central government of trying to wipe out the Punjabi language. He questioned BJP leaders, asking if they were part of a conspiracy to exclude Punjabi from the curriculum.
The CBSE notification lists several regional languages, including Sanskrit, Urdu, Marathi, Gujarati, Kashmiri, and Manipuri, but initially omitted Punjabi.
On Tuesday, CBSE proposed a reform to introduce two board exams per year starting from the 2025-26 academic session. This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to reduce academic pressure on students by allowing them to improve their scores.
