Telugu Teaching in Punjab Schools Draws Flak
Aimed at exposing students to South Indian linguistic and cultural heritage, the camps are dividing the community they intended to unite.
By : DC Web Desk
Update: 2025-05-24 09:00 GMT
Amritsar: Protests have erupted against the new Telugu language summer camps in Punjab government schools, scheduled from 26 May to 5 June under the Centre's 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' initiative. Aimed at exposing students to South Indian linguistic and cultural heritage, the camps are dividing the community they intended to unite.
The Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) calls the initiative “unscientific, impractical, and a violation of educational priorities.”
Anger stems from 3,800 Class 12 and 1,571 Class 10 students failing or opting to fail Punjabi, their mother tongue. A DTF spokesperson said, "When students struggle with their own language, why impose a fourth?"
The camps, for Classes 6 to 10, will teach basic Telugu, songs, food, dances, and patriotic activities during school holidays. Schools with fewer than 75 students must involve every child. Teachers will act as nodal officers, with a ?30 per student budget.
The DTF argues the state’s strained teaching force lacks subject experts, and adding a fourth language dilutes focus and drains resources. They demand the order be withdrawn or made voluntary, urging improved Punjabi proficiency and a clear academic calendar.
As the government pushes cultural integration, Punjab’s educators question the cost to core learning.
Written by: Prabhash Kumar, University of Hyderabad, Intern.