Punjabi is no longer limited only to Punjab and Punjabi communities settled abroad. In several universities in China, Canada, America, and Britain, the Punjabi language has been made a regular part of courses and academic programs. The latest development in this direction has emerged from China, where the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) has included Punjabi in its foreign languages studies. The university has appointed Professor Dr. Zameerpal Kaur Sandhu Bajwa from the Punjabi Department of the Central University of Punjab (CUP), Bathinda, as a foreign expert in Punjabi language and South Asian studies for the 2026-27 academic session.
Known for teaching foreign languages, BFSU now maintains a list of 102 languages. Punjabi has been included in this program along with other languages, including Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali, and Sanskrit. According to the university, its foreign language programs are important for Chinese students as well as diplomats and officials associated with international affairs. This development for Punjabi is also significant because the teaching of the language is starting in an institution whose primary focus is linked to foreign languages and diplomatic education.
What Will Be Taught in Beijing?
Professor Zameerpal Kaur Sandhu Bajwa’s role is not limited to merely teaching how to speak or write Punjabi. According to the information related to her appointment, the courses include Punjabi language, literature and folklore, the history and culture of Punjab, Sanskrit poetics, and literary theories along with Urdu. She will also contribute to preparing materials for Punjabi studies and training Chinese teachers who can teach Punjabi in the future. Thus, rather than just learning vocabulary and grammar, the Beijing program attempts to connect students with the literary, cultural, and historical aspects of Punjabi.
Who is Professor Zameerpal Kaur Sandhu Bajwa?
Associated with the academic teaching of Punjabi in Beijing, this professor herself belongs to Punjab. Professor Dr. Zameerpal Kaur Sandhu Bajwa is a professor in the Punjabi Department at the Central University of Punjab, Bathinda. She has been associated with teaching and research at the university since 2018. She has also served as the Dean of the university’s School of Languages, Literature and Culture. Her academic background is connected to several languages and subjects.
She holds a Ph.D. in languages from Punjabi University, Patiala. In addition, she holds Master’s degrees in Punjabi, Sanskrit, Anthropological Linguistics, and Punjabi language. She has also studied Urdu and Persian and acquired qualifications related to Computer Applications and Electrical Engineering.
Her primary areas of research include Punjabi linguistics, Punjabi poetry, folklore and culture, comparative literature, Indian literary theories, Sanskrit poetics, ecocriticism, and sociolinguistics. Her academic work also includes books related to Peer Muhammad, poet Pash, and the Indian literary thinker Acharya Kuntaka.
According to the Central University of Punjab, she has also been a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and Cardiff University, Wales, and has been academically associated with other academic institutions in America and Britain. She has also been among the founding faculty members of the Central University of Punjab and has contributed to works related to Punjabi translation and language development.
Punjabi is Already Being Taught at Berkeley
The introduction of Punjabi in Beijing does not mean that the study of Punjabi in international universities has only just begun. Punjabi has been taught at the University of California, Berkeley, in the US since the early 1990s. Berkeley currently offers courses in Introductory Punjabi and Intermediate Punjabi. These focus on the Gurmukhi script, grammar, reading, writing, and speaking. Advanced-level courses also include work related to Punjabi communities and oral history. The university’s Punjabi Studies Initiative works towards teaching the Punjabi language, preparing future researchers, and developing teaching materials.
A Long-Standing Punjabi Program at UBC
Canada’s University of British Columbia (UBC) also has a long-standing Punjabi program. UBC describes its Punjabi program as one of the largest and longest-running programs of the Punjabi language outside of South Asia. Punjabi is taught here from the beginner level to the advanced level. Along with the language, aspects related to Punjabi culture and community are also included in the courses. UBC’s Harjit Kaur Sidhu Memorial Program also works to promote Punjabi language and culture. Due to a large Punjabi-speaking population and a long history of Punjabi migration in British Columbia, the academic presence of Punjabi holds special significance here.
Study of Punjabi in Toronto as Well
A Punjabi course is also available at the University of Toronto Mississauga. For the 2026-27 academic session, the university has listed an Introductory Punjabi course. It includes basic grammar, conversational ability, and the Gurmukhi script along with the background related to the history of Punjab and language usage. This course is taught by Professor Aqsa Ijaz. Her research relates to Punjabi, Urdu, and Persian languages and literature, multilingualism, translation, and South Asian cultural history.
Punjabi at Simon Fraser University Too
Punjabi language courses are also running at Simon Fraser University in Canada. The university’s Fall 2026 session includes an Introductory Punjabi II course. A placement system is also provided for students with prior knowledge at various levels.
Punjabi is Being Taught in London as Well
In Britain, King’s College London also teaches Punjabi through its Language Centre. Courses of various levels are available here, and Panjabi Level-2 classes are also listed for the 2026-27 academic session.
The university uses the word “Panjabi” for Punjabi, which is another popular spelling used for the language internationally.
Punjabi From Basic to Advanced Level at the University of Pennsylvania
Punjabi courses are also available under the South Asia Studies program at the University of Pennsylvania in the US. The university describes Punjabi as an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken in the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. There is a provision for the study of Punjabi from the introductory level to the advanced level for students here. Students can also minor in South Asia Studies with a focus on Punjabi.
What Does This Mean for Punjab?
The growing presence of Punjabi in foreign universities is not merely an issue linked to the increasing number of expatriate Punjabis. In universities like Berkeley, UBC, Toronto, and Pennsylvania, Punjabi is being taught as part of South Asian languages, literature, and regional studies. On the other hand, in Beijing, Punjabi has been made part of a major foreign language program, which opens the way for its study to Chinese students and professionals associated with international affairs. This means that Punjabi is being studied in various contexts—as a community language, an academic subject, a literary language, and a medium to understand Punjab and South Asia. Its introduction in Beijing adds another dimension to this. Punjabi can now also become part of the linguistic capability to understand South Asia for Chinese students, researchers, officials, and diplomats.
From Punjab to Foreign Classrooms
In Punjab, discussions related to the language often revolve around the use of Punjabi in schools, administration, higher education, and daily life. Abroad, in contrast, universities are teaching Punjabi in the form of studies related to language, literature, history, and communities.
Now, the challenge is not just whether foreign universities are ready to teach Punjabi or not. The question is also whether qualified teachers, modern textbooks, digital resources, translations, and academic research are being prepared at the required level to sustain this growing interest.
The role of Professor Zameerpal Kaur Sandhu Bajwa in Beijing is significant in this context, because her responsibility is not limited to just teaching Punjabi to students, but is also connected to the development of teaching capacity and educational material for the future.
The presence of Punjabi from Berkeley and British Columbia to Toronto, Pennsylvania, London, and now Beijing demonstrates that this language is no longer just the language of Punjabi homes or foreign Punjabi communities, but is also becoming a subject of study at the university level.
For this language—shaped by the history of Punjab divided between India and Pakistan and the Punjabi diaspora spread across the globe—its growing space in international universities is another chapter in its global journey.
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