SHWETA KAMAT
PANJIM: The Manohar Parrikar government will have to re-look at its Medium of Instruction (MoI) policy, considering that the Bill in which it was included and was referred to the State Assembly’s Select Committee, stands lapsed with the new Assembly taking over in March this year.
The MoI policy, drafted in February 2014, which was incorporated into the Goa School Education (amendment) Bill 2014, was referred to the Legislative Assembly’s select committee headed by then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in August 2014 after MLAs raised certain issues about the bill.
Sources at the State Assembly confirmed that the government will have to draft a new policy as the earlier Assembly failed to pass the Bill, leading to it getting lapsed. “Once a new State Assembly is elected, all its past committees automatically get dissolved and the pending bills before it stand lapsed,” sources said.
The policy, however, remains in force. Speaking to Herald, member of the previous select committee Digambar Kamat said, “With the new State Assembly coming into force, the Goa School Education (amendment) Bill 2014 stands lapsed.” He clarified that the MoI policy is a government decision and it is now for the new government to decide whether it want to have the same policy incorporated in a fresh amendment and placed before House or go for changes.
Sources added that the previous Select Committee, which failed to meet even once under Parrikar in 2014, thereafter held six to seven sittings with Laxmikant Parsekar as its chairman.
“However, the committee members could not come to any consensus and hence the policy was not placed before the House,” sources said. The policy-cum-amendment Bill had two issues – grants in aid and recognition. It continued grants to 136 English medium primary schools.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the government is likely to maintain the status-quo on the contentious issue and this would be spelt out in its common minimum programme which is to be released soon.
“The Government constituted advisory committee is also yet to submit the report. It was constituted for wider consultation and facilitation to government on the issue. Their extension is ending next month. We will have to wait and see, whether they seek further extension or submit report,” sources said.
The Advisory Committee constituted in July 2016, has so far been granted three extensions.
