THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: With the new National Education Policy (NEP) being approved by the Union cabinet, the debate around the medium of instruction (MoI) at elementary classes has once again surfaced in the State. While some educational experts’ views that it is not “something new”, the mother-tongue protagonists’ want the church affiliated Diocesan Society of Education (DSE) to respect the “national interest”.
Some school managements also points out that NEP goes against the Supreme Court’s 2014 verdict stating that implementation of the mother tongue as MOI in primary classes was “unconstitutional”.
The NEP states that, “Wherever possible, the Medium of Instruction till grade 5, and preferably till grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/mother tongue/local language or regional language”. It is just a recommendation and not a mandatory clause.
While welcoming the new policy, Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM), who was at the forefront against government grants to English Medium primary schools, wants the govt to immediately implement the new policy. “There are some remarkable decisions taken in the new NEP that were neglected; and not taken up including the MOI issue and giving importance to regional languages,” BBSM president Subhash Velingkar said.
He pointed out that due to faulty educational polices of the BJP-led govt, several Marathi and Konkani medium schools had to shut down, while no new schools in regional language were granted permissions in the last three years; while continuing grants to the English medium primary schools.
“We were forced to start the protest against the govt after they completely sabotaged the language issue,” former RSS Goa Chief said adding ‘the new policy should be implemented in Goa in toto at the earliest’.
In the national interest, Velingkar also appealed to Church body to follow the guidelines laid down in the NEP on MOI and respect mother tongue. “It’s an opportunity for the Church to set an example that they are in sync with national interest,” he said while urging them to convert their English medium primary schools in Konkani as per new policy.
On the other hand, educational expert Prabhakar Timble said that whether it is in new or old policy, the MOI at primary level should be in the mother tongue has been integral part of public policy. “It is nothing new since new policy has not made it mandatory. Finally, the freedom of choice is the guaranteed right of parents and students,” he maintained.
Another expert Bhaskar Nayak also says that the policy does not makes it mandatory since MoI has always been a complicated issue. “The government just cannot implement it,” he said.
Nayak, the former education director, opined that State government will have to draft its own State Education Policy in lines with the National policy and then implement it.
One of the School Principals, pointed out that way back in 2014, the Supreme Court, in a plea filed by Karnataka govt, had held that imposition of the mother tongue as MOI is unconstitutional. “Though the policy does not make it mandatory, but any efforts to do so, will result in clear violation of the Apex court order,” he said.
