Punjabi and Punjab – Language Policy Development and Implementation
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Language planning and policy in the Punjab education system: A critical analysis by Satwinder Kaur Bains M.Ed., Simon Fraser University, 2004 B.A., St. Bedes College, 1975 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Curriculum and Theory Implementation Program Faculty of Education © Satwinder Kaur Bains 2019 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2019 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Approval Name: Satwinder Bains Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title: Language planning and policy in the Punjab education system: A critical analysis Examining Committee: Chair: Michael Ling Senior Lecturer Mark Fettes Senior Supervisor Associate Professor Steve Marshall Supervisor Associate Professor Danièle Moore Internal Examiner Professor E. Annamalai External Examiner Visiting Professor South Asian Languages and Civilizations University of Chicago Date Defended/Approved: August 15, 2019 ii Abstract Since it became an independent country in 1947, India has wrestled with the question of how to manage its vast range of languages. According to the Three- Language Formula, a political compromise originating in the post-independence debates of the 1950s, each federal state should ensure its citizens have access at least to Hindi, English, and a third language that may be a regional language or, in the northern Hindi-speaking states, a language from southern India. Through a study of the historical development and ramifications of this policy, and especially its implementation in the northwestern border state of Punjab, it is shown to align with the long-established tendency for national language planning and policies to entrench historical and sociopolitical inequities. Analysis of Punjab’s public-education policy texts by means of critical discourse analysis highlights the (re)production of political ideologies and social hierarchies in the implementation of State-level language policy within the government-run school system. The sociolinguistic realities of the region are not always reflected in the policy directives that influence public education in Punjab. This case study adds to the literature showing that powerful sociopolitical forces continue to impact the position of vernaculars in India and that its linguistically diverse states and policy frameworks are unable to accommodate numerous languages on the margins. Keywords: Multilingualism; language policy and planning; official languages; education policy; policy implementation; Punjab; India; critical discourse analysis iii Dedication To my beloved family. iv Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to acknowledge and give sincere thanks to my thesis supervisor Dr. Mark Fettes for his undying support for my PhD studies. He has provided me with the vision to work on this topic as a labour of love. With his steady hand, this thesis has become what I hope is my contribution to a field of work that is dynamic and ever changing. He has been patient, motivating, and above all so generous with his knowledge that he shared with me. I would like to thank Dr. Steve Marshall for being part of my supervisory committee and for his insightful comments and encouragement. Dr. Daniele Moore’s and Dr. E. Annamalai’s willingness to serve as examiners in the middle of the summer vacation is gratefully appreciated. My family have been absolute rocks in this entire time, they have supported, cajoled and buoyed me along the way. My partner Parm, my children Simran, Suvi and Nav are like the bedrock that one needs along life’s journey. Thank you for all your endless love, your motivational messages and your constant encouragement to me. I could not have done this without you. My parents are smiling down on me, this I know and are beaming with pride, knowing all that it took to embark and stay with this long journey. v Table of Contents Approval ............................................................................................................................ ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................iii Dedication ........................................................................................................................ iv Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures................................................................................................................... ix List of Acronyms ................................................................................................................ x Mother Tongue, Languages and Policy Impacts .................................... 1 1.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 Context and Theoretical Framework ..................................................... 14 2.1. Key foci and themes .............................................................................................. 14 2.2. Why critical theory? ............................................................................................... 19 2.3. The historical roots of language planning ............................................................. 22 2.4. Critical Theory and LPP ........................................................................................ 26 2.5. Critical theory and LPP in the Indian Context ....................................................... 28 2.6. Critical theory and LPP in the local context ........................................................... 34 India’s language policy ........................................................................... 42 3.1. From Colonialization to Independence .................................................................. 42 3.2. Policy in a Multilingual Democracy ........................................................................ 50 3.3. A critical analysis of India’s language policy ......................................................... 59 3.3.1. Hindi and English: rivalry or complicity? ........................................................ 60 3.3.2. The neglect of minority languages ................................................................ 62 3.3.3. Multilingualism in education .......................................................................... 65 Methodology ............................................................................................ 70 4.1. Critical Discourse Analysis and language planning and policy ............................. 70 4.2. Data collection ....................................................................................................... 73 Punjabi and Punjab – language policy development and implementation .................................................................................................... 83 5.1. Punjab and Punjabi: an introduction ..................................................................... 83 5.2. History of Punjabi language planning and policy .................................................. 87 5.3. Punjab School Board of Education ....................................................................... 92 5.4. Impact of language planning and policy discourse at the PSEB ........................... 99 5.4.1. Circular # 146, Implementation of Parho Punjab, Paraho Punjab Project in Schools, 04/15/.2018 ........................................................................................... 101 5.4.2. Circular # 5, Model Test Paper Class 8th Science ....................................... 105 5.4.3. Circular #136, Regarding Punjab State Language Act, 2008, 5/9/2018 ..... 105 vi 5.4.4. Circular #71, Implementation of Buddy Group System in Schools, 12/10/2018 .................................................................................................................... 106 5.4.5. Circular # 100, Parho Punjab Paraho Punjab meeting through Edusat, 08/20/2018; Circular #101, One day workshop on Punjabi subject under Parho Punjab Paraho Punjab Project, 16/08/2018 ........................................................................... 107 5.4.6. SCERT Learning outcomes, 2017 related to Circular #144, Display of Learning Outcomes in classrooms, 4/17/2018 .......................................................... 108 5.4.7. Circular # 144, Display of Learning Outcomes in Classrooms, 04/17/2018 109 5.4.8. Circular # 98, Improvement in vocabulary of students for Punjabi subject, 08/28/2018; Circular # 169, English subject competition under Parho Punjab, 2/3/2018 .................................................................................................................... 110 5.4.9. Circular #19 – Admission in pre-primary classes 12/15/2018 ..................... 111 5.4.10. Circular #15 -Admission of Students in Govt. Schools, 12/17/2018 ........ 112 5.4.11. Circular #181 - Parent Teacher Meeting, 7/28/2017 ............................... 112 5.4.12. Circular # 40 – Punjab Transparency and Accountability in Delivery of Public Services Act 2018, 11/14/2018 ......................................................................