Team Herald
PANJIM: Directorate of Education (DoE) on Thursday rejected eight applications to start English medium primary schools. The applications were rejected as it is against the policy of the government to promote regional languages.
The department also rejected a few Urdu school proposals, while an application for staring a school in Sindhi was withdrawn. The government also rejected six applications for starting high schools. Other than these, 40 applications for primary schools in Konkani and Marathi are pending a decision.
Speaking to Herald, Education Director G P Bhat said, “40 applications for primary schools in Konkani and Marathi are before the government for decision and in the next eight days it will be decided. Applications for eight English primary schools were rejected as it against the policy of the government of promoting regional languages”
No new primary schools were granted permission to open during the current academic year. Over 90 regional language primary schools were allowed to begin operation between 2012 and 2016, but no English medium school was allowed due to the ongoing row over grants to English medium primary schools.
Goa has one primary school serving in a radius of four kilometres or less. During the medium of instruction (MoI) issue, the State government had relaxed the distance criteria for Konkani and Marathi schools, which increased the density of primary schools further in some areas.
