The New South Wales Department of Education has invited the Punjabi community to develop a Punjabi curriculum for classes from Kindergarten to Year 10.
Invitation letters have been sent out to the community schools, inviting experts to advise the NSW Department of Education on how to develop the curriculum.
Dr Surinder Singh, Director of Guru Nanak Punjabi School, running under the Australian Sikh Association of Sydney, is among those approached by the Department. He shared his thoughts with SBS Punjabi on how this project can be accomplished.
He said their school is well equipped with staff and experts who can help the department develop the Punjabi curriculum.
Dr Singh says it is the right time for commencing teaching of Punjabi in NSW public schools due to the rapid growth in the Punjabi community in the state. Currently, Punjabi as a subject is available to HSC students who learn it in weekend schools and almost 100 to 150 students appear in Punjabi exams every year.
Department of Education's letter Source: Surinder Singh
Dr Singh says this initiative of the department will have multiple benefits e.g. it will help in employing Punjabi experts &, teachers and the students will get extra marks in their HSC exams as well.
"Many students who are migrating to Australia from Punjabi speaking schools of India find it difficult to adjust in the first few years. Having Punjabi available as a subject can help them reduce their pressures quite a lot," Dr Singh told SBS Punjabi.
Along with Punjabi, the NSW Department of education has invited Hindi, Persian, Macedonian and Tamil language experts as well for the development of similar curriculum.
