Mr Manohar Parrikar, during the last State Assembly elections, had assured the Archdiocesan Board of Education (ABE) to give grants to its Primary schools with English as the medium of instruction if the BJP forms the government in Goa. Yes, BJP trounced Congress party in that election and Mr Parrikar became the Chief Minister. He partly fulfilled his assurance to ABE. He continued the policy of giving grants to ABE primary schools which was started by the Congress government. He did not make any attempts to pass the MoI bill in the Assembly and make it a law. And now, Mr Laxmikant Parsekar, the Chief Minister of Goa, follows the same tactics of his predecessor.
The anti-English lobby, which includes the protagonists of Marathi and Konkani in Devnagiri scripts, ably supported by Goan RSS leaders, has tried their level best to pressurise the BJP government in postponing the passing of MoI bill in the Assembly. How long can the government continue to remain silent on the issue of MoI? 2017 State Assembly election are approaching fast. Can the government go to the people without solving the MoI issue as promised?
Some members of anti-English lobby make sweeping statements regarding primary education. In doing so they do not hesitate to hurt the feelings of minority community of Goa although ABE primary schools are not only patronised by students from minority community but majority of the students belong to majority community. I would like to reflect on some of the accusations of the members of anti-English lobby.
There is no doubt that the universal pedagogy is to have primary education in the mother tongue. This concept is very effective because the rest of their higher education is also done in the same language – the mother tongue. Most of the European nations are concrete examples in which elementary as well as higher education including professional education is done through their mother tongue. Therefore it is appropriate to make this concept applicable to educational situations in our country including Goa where the education from Std V onwards is in English and not in the mother tongue.
For argument sake, let’s consider that the mother tongue is the best language for primary education in Goa. Is primary education in Goa imparted in the mother tongue? In 1990 the government made Konkani or Marathi the languages of primary education in Goa through the circular No. DE/Acad.I/Policy Decision/Medium/Pry/344/90/1234 dated 21.5.1990. I quote the first statement of that circular, “The medium of instruction at the Primary stage in all Government and non-government recognised schools shall be the Mother Tongue of the child i.e. Konkani/Marathi/Regional language of the state.”
From this statement it appears that Konkani, Marathi and Regional language of the state are all mother tongues of Goans. How many mother tongues does Goa have? As far as I am concerned the mother tongue of Goans is Konkani. If this is the fact then how Marathi language fits into the pedagogic concept of primary education? Can the educationists who are the protagonists of mother tongue explain us in clear terms the position of Marathi as far as the universal concept of primary education in Mother tongue in Goa is concerned? Otherwise accept that Goa has two mother tongues Konkani and Marathi. Or else do not apply pedagogical definition to the Primary education in Goa in order to deny grants to ABE primary schools.
If Goa government can give grants to have primary education in Marathi language then where is the hustle to give grants to primary education in English, which is also not the mother tongue of Goans? What the parents are asking is their democratic right to secure a better future for their children. The parents of students demanding their right to choose the medium of instruction are also the tax payers like the parents of students learning primary education through Marathi.
The accusation by some protagonists of Konkani/ Marathi that the primary education in English will render our children de-nationalised and de-cultured is also a myth.
Today we observe anti-social activities throughout the country. Terrorism, murders and rapes are increasing day after day. According to me the people, who indulge in such dreaded activities, are the ones who are already de-nationalised and de-cultured. I wonder in which language all these terrorists, murderers and rapists had their primary education. Is it not through their mother tongues? Let us not therefore link the issue de-nationalisation and de-culturisation to the language of medium of instruction.
The time has come for the government to act decisively. We live in the 21st century. Hence it is the duty of the government to give all required facilities to its citizens to develop their skills — intellectual, physical, emotional — to face the challenges of the modern world without any discrimination. And Primary education in the English medium with one compulsory subject in the mother tongue is one such facility that will help the citizens to face the challenges of modern times.
(Tomazinho Cardozo is a former Speaker of Goa
Legislative Assembly)
