The Punjab Education Department has announced a major reform to strengthen students’ reading skills in the Gurmukhi script. From the next academic session, Hindi and English textbooks will also include the Gurmukhi alphabet, starting with ‘Oorra–Airra’.
The decision aims to improve familiarity with Gurmukhi among students across all school boards. From Classes 1 to 12, every language textbook—Punjabi, Hindi, and English—will now carry a dedicated page explaining alphabets. Nearly 60 lakh students studying in government, aided, private, and other schools will benefit from this change.
Education officials said recent learning assessments revealed worrying trends. Reports showed that many Class 3 students could recognise Gurmukhi letters but struggled to read full words. A small percentage could not identify Punjabi letters at all. Rural learning surveys also highlighted weak reading levels across primary classes.
To address this gap, the department decided to expose students repeatedly to the Gurmukhi script. In Punjabi textbooks, the alphabet will appear before the introduction and at the end. In Hindi and English books, it will be printed below the respective language alphabets.
Punjab School Education Board Chairman Dr Amar Pal Singh said the goal is to draw students’ attention to Gurmukhi every time they open a textbook. The change will be implemented in textbooks for the 2026–27 academic session.
