'Language is a vital part of culture': The new Punjabi bilingual program being offered in Seven Oaks School Division.
A new Punjabi bilingual program is coming to Seven Oaks School Division next school year.
Amber Trails Community School will be offering the program to students in kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2.
"The community is excited about having the language learning happening in public school settings, rather than them sending students only to after school programs. So they are excited it's part of the curriculum," said school principal Navjeet Kambo.
Students will receive Punjabi instruction in core subjects for about half of the day. There will also be some focus on Indian culture and history.
Registration for the program opened two weeks ago, and has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Vice-principal Jamil Mian said an open house held this week was a huge success.
"We were surprised to hear from the community when we opened it up to questions and comments how proud the community was to have their languages represented in Canadian schools. So that was amazing to hear," said Mian.
This is the fourth non-French bilingual program offered in the Seven Oaks School Division, which currently runs similar programs in Ukrainian, Ojibway, and Tagalog.
Kambo said Amber Trails was chosen for the Punjabi program because it is a hub for Winnipeg's Indian community. "Language is a vital part of a culture. To keep culture alive, languages need to be flowing between generations, and they need to be passed on from one generation to the other."
Seven Oaks anticipates expanding the program to other grades in the future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.