It was a first of its kind effort to promote Punjabi by the NGO Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle (GGSC). (Express photo)

If students can work hard to prove their proficiency in English, why can’t they do the same for Punjabi language? This could have been the idea behind a NGO organising a “seven band PIELTS” or Punjab’s Innovative and Experimental Language Testing System here on the lines of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

It was a first of its kind effort to promote Punjabi by the NGO Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle (GGSC).

“Youngsters are crazy about IELTS…so we planned to attract them the same way and planned our test on the lines of IELTS and named it PIELTS,” said Jagjit Singh, member of GGSC and organiser of the event.

In the event organised at Adesh University, Bathinda, 300 students took part.

Jagjit Singh said, “We are not discouraging IELTS. It is the choice of youngsters who want to move abroad for studies and job opportunities. If we organise lectures and seminars on promotion of Punjabi language, they sound too boring to youngsters, hence we hit upon this idea”.

This test was of 30 minutes and was divided into writing, reading, listening and speaking.

Lakhwinder Singh another member of GGSC said, “This was our first attempt and we will organise another test in Kotkapura after a month. We plan to organise such tests throughout Punjab.”