Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Kultar Sandhwan writes to Dharmendra Pradhan, urges urgent corrections in NCERT's 'Punjabi Primer' textbook
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, March 17, 2025: Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan has written a demi-official letter to Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, Government of India, highlighting critical errors in the NCERT-published Punjabi Primer (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਕਾਇਦਾ).
This textbook, designed for Balvatika, Anganwadi-level children, and adult literacy programs, contains significant spelling mistakes and factual inaccuracies, particularly in the Punjabi alphabet representation.
One of the most glaring errors in the book is that it incorrectly starts the Punjabi alphabet with "ਅ" instead of the correct "ਓ".
Speaker Sandhwan emphasized that such fundamental mistakes mislead young learners and undermine literacy initiatives, stressing that foundational educational materials must maintain the highest standards of accuracy.
He urged the Union Education Minister to immediately review and revise the textbook by consulting qualified Punjabi linguistic experts and scholars to ensure students receive accurate and reliable educational content.Additionally, he called for a stricter editorial and quality-checking process for all future publications to prevent such errors.
Speaker Sandhwan underscored that ensuring error-free learning materials is crucial for the success of foundational education and literacy programs in India.He requested urgent intervention to address the issue at the earliest.