> Punjabi classes attract local politicians
Punjabi classes attract local politicians
January 11, 2007
NDP MLAs Sue Hammell (Surrey Green Timbers) and Bruce Ralston (Surrey Whalley) are among the many students studying beginners Punjabi at SFU Surrey this year.
Hammell, who can now read the language with some confidence, enrolled in the classes to better communicate with her constituents: “It’s like working on a puzzle. It’s difficult, but a huge proportion of my community is Punjabi-speaking, so my motivation to continue is linked to something real.”
Many of her fellow students are first- or second-generation Indo-Canadians—professional and business people—who did not have access to Punjabi classes in the school system. Notes Hammell: “They have the vocabulary, but they want to learn the written word. I think SFU is really meeting community needs with this program.”
The next term of Beginners Punjabi, Levels I and II, runs Jan. 20 to April 14, 2007 at SFU Surrey; tuition is $300. To register, call 604-291-5184 or e-mail language@sfu.ca.
For more information: www.sfu.ca/cstudies/lang/silp