AMRITSAR: Although the number of Ph.Ds in Punjabi language being awarded across the border is fewer, the research there is more elaborate, time consuming and comprehensive, which gives credibility to their work, said Dr Dharam Singh, Professor and Head of the School of Punjabi Studies at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) who is also an external examiner for research projects in Lahore, while drawing a comparison between research in Punjabi in Amritsar and Lahore.
Talking to HT, Dr Singh said many students were pursuing Ph.D in Punjabi in Pakistan and postgraduate courses in Punjabi language were ‘much in demand there.
“Though the scene is fairly good in Amritsar, too, we lack the macro-level research aspect of Pakistani students,” observed Dr Singh, who had recently examined Ph.D project of Punjabi students in Lahore.
As per the rules, colleges in Lahore need to have an external examiner who has knowledge of Urdu to evaluate research work for awarding Ph.D.
Dr Singh said there were three universities in Pakistan which offer Ph.D in Punjabi. These include University of Punjab, Lahore, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, and Lahore College for Women University, Lahore.
With more and more students opting for Punjabi as a subject, the Pakistan government had recently set up a post graduate department for Punjabi in Government College University, Faisalabad. “They have also set up the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture at Lahore, whose main function is to promote the Punjabi language. Sadly, no such effort is being made here,” he said.
