90% fail Punjabi language qualifying test mandatory to secure govt jobs in state

The results were declared by the language department on Tuesday.

The exam is conducted four times a year: March, June, September, and December. Clearing it is mandatory for those aspiring for Group C and D posts of the Punjab government if they have not studied Punjabi at matriculation-level.

The exam comprises two papers: grammar and technical, each of 75 marks, out which a candidate is required to secure a minimum of 25 marks to pass.

As per documents available with HT, 69 students had appeared in the examination conducted on March 10 this year, of which only seven could pass.

When asked about the reasons behind such a high percentage of candidates flunking the exam, Punjab language department director Harpreet Kaur said that many applicants were not even able to write in Punjabi. “Majority of the applicants couldn’t write Punjabi properly. There were a lot of spelling mistakes. Therefore, they could not pass the exam,” said Kaur.

An applicant from Tarn Taran, who failed the exam, said, “The fact that 90% of the applicants had failed the exam casts a doubt on the evaluation process. Unfortunately, there is no provision for re-evaluation.”

In 2022, the Punjab government had made it mandatory for candidates to pass both papers of the qualifying exam, which is equivalent to the matriculation-level examination. The purpose of making it mandatory for the candidates to pass both papers was to promote the Punjabi language.

Sukhdev Singh Sirsa, an eminent Punjabi writer and a former professor at Panjab University, said, “The exam conducted by the language department is not that tough. Still, if nearly 90% of applicants have failed, it shows that Punjabi language is not taken seriously. Job aspirants are not taking Punjabi language as seriously as they should. I think the education system and parents are to be blamed for this downfall of the Punjabi language.”