Language Dept holds seminar on “Mother Tongue Punjabi Teaching in AI Era”
Ferozepur, August 19, 2026: A special programme on the theme “Mother Tongue Punjabi Teaching in AI Era” in the face of Contemporary Challenges was organized by the Language Department in collaboration with Dev Samaj College of Education.
District Language Officer Dr. Jagdeep Singh Sandhu highlighted the purpose of the programme and said that rapid technological advancements had brought significant changes to human life. He said Artificial Intelligence (AI) had emerged as a major force of change, affecting almost every sphere of life, including education. In such a scenario, new challenges and risks were emerging in the field of teaching, particularly in language education.
Dr. Sandhu said that teachers had a crucial role to play in language teaching as language was deeply connected with human life, personality, behaviour and social interaction. He added that the programme would be particularly beneficial for students of the education college, who would take up the teaching profession in the future.
The keynote speaker, poet, translator and teacher Sukhjinder, held an extensive interaction with the students on the subject. Speaking from a philosophical perspective, he elaborated on the significance of language in human life. He said a teacher possessing a rich vocabulary and a broad range of ideas was linguistically enriched and had immense potential for effective expression in the classroom.
Sukhjinder said that dialogue was at the heart of the teaching profession and effective, creative interaction with students required a strong command of language. He emphasised that communication through the mother tongue could produce particularly meaningful results. He also said that a language teacher should have a critical understanding of different aspects and disciplines of life, as such understanding was essential for effective language teaching.
Thanking the guests, Principal, Dev Samaj College of Education Dr. Rajwinder Kaur said that although technology had expanded its presence into almost every aspect of life, it could never replace a teacher. She said a teacher was a living; breathing and emotionally sensitive personality who could understand the mental and emotional needs of students and make the teaching-learning process more effective.
Story writer Er. Gurdial Singh Virk also addressed the students and shared his views on the importance of education. He said every language should be learnt, but self-expression and a deeper appreciation of beauty in life could be experienced more meaningfully through one's mother tongue.
Dr. Surinder Kamboj conducted the proceedings and supplemented the discussion with relevant observations and examples. He tried to connect the subject with the everyday lives of students and teachers while highlighting the importance of language in human interaction and education.
A book exhibition was also organised by the District Language Office, Ferozepur, under the supervision of Chetan Kumar. Dr. Harsangeet Kaur, Dr. Parmveer Singh, Dr. Gagandeep Kaur, Dr. Rajni Khungar, Ajaydeep, Avtar Puri, social worker Kiran Chopra and a large number of college students were present on the occasion.