António Lobo
How many people in Goa are aware that Hindi is not the national language of India? Most Goans and many others assume that it is, and the government does nothing to correct that belief, fearing perhaps, that it could provoke a reaction from parents of school-going children, whose wards are obliged to study that language.
From the time that education upto SSC was first placed under the Maharashtra (Pune) Education Board in 1962, the study of Hindi language in schools was made compulsory. Earlier, those students, such as myself, who had shifted from Portuguese to English education, were offered the option of not taking Hindi as a subject, but they would suffer the consequence of not being ranked when the exam results were declared.
Many, especially within the Catholic community, opted for this exemption, as the parents found it impossible to help their wards with the language, and the script, as they themselves knew nothing of Hindi. However, at that time, and even today, nobody questioned or questions the rationale behind making Hindi a compulsory subject, even though there are multiple examples of students failing or, at best, securing a poor overall percentage in the SSC exams, due to Hindi. This absence of protest can only be explained, in the fact, that most people assumed and still assume, that it is the " national language" and that nothing could be done about it.
This belief is reinforced by the fact that the Central Government, has been pushing for Hindi being taught as a subject, for " national integration", without ever explaining why the teaching of Hindi, in preference to any other Indian language, was necessary for that purpose. The region that has consistently opposed this policy, has been the South of India, especially by such states as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, that have steadfastly refused to kowtow to the dictates of the Central Government to that effect. The recent threat by the Education Minister of the Central Government Dharmendra Pradhan, that Tamil Nadu would not receive any education funds unless it accepted the three language formula ( English, local language and Hindi) under the National Education Policy( NEP) is a case in point, of the push by the North to impose its culture on the rest of India.
This accords well with the BJP policy of one country, one election (and one language?). This declaration by the minister evoked a quick riposte from M K Stalin who accused the Minister of blackmail and to state that the people of Tamil Nadu would not tolerate it. It's time for Goa, which now has its own Board of Education to stop making the study of Hindi compulsory. Education is included in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India and each state has the power to frame its own policy and decide which subject will be taught in schools as a compulsory or optional subject. It's time, that the interest of students which should be the paramount consideration in any education plan, is given its due place.