Goa cabinet announces English as MoI

Goa cabinet has declared that English language will be the Medium of Instruction (MoI) in primary education along with Konkani and Marathi languages.

The decision has sparked anger among the anti-English lobby in the State with warnings to pull down the Digambar Kamat-led government in the upcoming state assembly elections.

The government announced its decision, on Wednesday evening following an hour long cabinet meeting over the much debated issue, which is a part of the implementation of the Right To Education (RTE) Act.

Kamat told newsmen at a press conference that the government will provide grants to English schools giving an opportunity to poor parents from remote villages to teach their children in English language.

?Government will give permission for the aided primary schools to open classes in English medium provided they have minimum required number of students in each school. We want that parents should give in writing wanting to change the medium to English,? Kamat said.

He emphasized that those schools including English as the MoI should also have Konkani or Marathi as compulsory subject till the Secondary School Certificate Examination.

Kamat stated that unaided English schools would also derive government grants but on condition that they also implement regional languages as compulsory subject till Class tenth and have proper infrastructure.

The government has instituted a monitoring committee headed by Education Secretary V P Rao to ensure that schools abide by the norms while giving grants.

Goa has been divided over the issue and has witnessed a series of vigils and protest rallies on the MoI.

While parents and educationists formed a pressure group ? Forum for Rights of Children?s Education (FORCE) demanding that English to be included as the MoI at the elementary level, a new outfit ? Bhartiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) is supporting state?s regional languages as the MoI.

BBSM held an impromptu press conference minutes after the cabinet decision to condemn the government for a ?thoughtless decision.?

BBSM Convener and former chief minister Shashikala Kakodkar said that the government will pay a heavy price in the forthcoming election.

?We will make it a point that the Congress government collapses in the forthcoming elections for taking a decision which is not in favour of the public. The government is trying to ‘denationalize’ the education system in the State,? Kakodkar remarked.

Similarly, political parties including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) have reacted bitterly against the government?s MoI decision.

While MGP said they will continue opposing English as the MoI, BJP has marked a black day for Indian language in Goa.