Punjabi as a Second Language in Singapore

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Punjabi as a Second Language in Singapore

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Welcome to our web site!

This website provides information about Language Planning and Policy for Punjabi as a second language in Singapore.

(A pioneer in web publication with regards to the study of the Punjabi language in Singapore)

"Introduction" below provides some general information on the previous and current status of Punjabi Language Planning in Singapore.

"Importance of the Language - Then and Now" traces history until today to provide some answers as to why the langauge is so important to the Punjabis in Singapore. It gives insight as to why Punjabis in Singapore push so hard despite numerous obstacles so as to allow their children to learn the language in school.

"Bilingualism policy" provides an overview of the government's attitude towards bilingualism in the school curriculum and analyzes where the Punjabi language stands in relation to this policy and where it should actually stand.

"Actors and Their Roles" provides a list of the various bodies in charge in Punjabi Language Planning and Policy. More importantly it describes the roles of the various bodies (i.e. curriculm planning, funding,examinations) and how they go about their responsibilities.

"Survey Results - Why take Punjabi and improvements to be made" provides the results of a survey conducted amongst 50 Punjabi families whose children take Punjabi as a second language. The survey backs the information found in "Importance of the Language-Then and Now" as well as provides some ideas on improvements for the future, see "Future and Recommendations"

"Punjabi-Media, Literature and Music " talks about the influences of Punjabi media, literature and art on Punjabis especially those in Singapore and highlights how "bhangra" has drawn and continues to draw younger Punjabis towards their roots, culture and language.

"Future and Recommendations" anaylzes some of the current problems in the teaching and planning of Punjabi as a second langauge as well as suggestions for improvement in the future.

Introduction

This website aims to provide some information on the Punjabi Language Planning and Policy in Singapore. The Punjabis* make up a minority group in Singapore and up till 1989, there was no official decision made to undertake any type of language planning or provision as second language for this minority language. Any type of language planning that was undertaken before was done in an adhoc manner, with no common leadership, no common vision and no common curriculum. Punjabi classes were held in gurdwaras (places of worship for the Sikhs) and carried out on a purely community level.

The main aim of these classes was to ensure that the younger generation did not lose sight of their heritage, culture, values and religion and the Punjabi language was seen as a tool that would impart values, religious knowledge and cultural practices as well as a symbol of group loyalty and solidarity.

Since the 1989 decision, the government has allowed Indian minority students to take their own mother tongue (Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi and Punjabi) as second language. However, almost all the efforts made in this area are still community based. Hardly any governmental expertise, knowledge, funding has been provided to support these community run classes. This is very different from all the other second language languages in the Singapore education system.

For one thing, all the other second languages have recognition as Singapores official languages unlike the Indian minority languages. Secondly, the planning of the curriculum, preparation of teaching materials, training of teachers and funding for Mandarin, Malay and Tamil is overseen by the Ministry of Education and other official government bodies whereas for the Indian Minority Languages, boards and organizations that are formed by these Indian groups oversee all the above stated issues (For example, Punjabi planning and funding is under taken by the Singapore Sikh Education Foundation). Thirdly, second languages like Malay, Mandarin and Tamil are taught in primary, secondary schools and junior colleges within allocated school hours unlike the minority Indian languages which are held outside school hours at various centers.

The aim of this website then is to provide insight into this unique phenomena (of allowing minority Indian students to take their own languages as second language at an official level and yet leaving planning and funding to a community level) in language planning and management in Singapore as well as its dynamics.

* The majority of Punjabis in Singapore in Singapore are Sikhs. As a result, in Singapore, Sikh is synonymous with Punjabi. Punjabi Language Planning is undertaken by the Sikh Education Foundation.

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Some religious symbols of the Sikhs

Please contact us on any information or materials for this study as there is a serious lack of literature on the study of the Punjabi language in Singapore, or offer us your views on this study.

For further information on Punjabi language and Sikh culture, you may find these websites useful.

Links and References

A excerpt from the Holy Book, in the Gurmukhi script.

Website presented by Miss Dilpreet Kaur and Mr. Andrew On 19/10/2001. Special mention must be made for our Tutor, Dr. Christopher Stroud, who helped us facilitate the success of this study.