PANJIM: As the war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) over the Medium of Instruction (MoI) continues to dominate the news, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has come to the rescue of the State government over giving grants to English medium primary schools.
Parrikar, who has also been specifically targeted by the outfit for betraying the trust given in the 2012 Assembly elections, raised concerns over the fate of the 29,000 students if grants to Diocesan-backed schools are stopped.
“If grants to English medium primary schools are stopped, where will those 29,000 students be accommodated? The Konkani/Marathi medium schools are not capable to handle this bulk shift,” he said, quickly adding, “There are administrative problems. The spotlight should be on creating good schools giving quality education rather than raking up controversy.”
The former CM’s remark was in response to the ongoing differences between the BJP and BBSM on the MoI. Arguing that there are attempts to create a rift between the pro-Konkani/Marathi lovers and the saffron party, Parrikar expressed disappointment over the declining quality of education. In this statement, his stance completely seemed towards the mother tongue.
“Education has come down in terms of quality. We have started giving importance to English. Those studying in Konkani or Marathi are always good in Maths and Science. We have to think on how to create good schools. But unfortunately, nobody gives a thought to all this,” he said asking not to make this issue political.
He also expressed the need to raise more educational institutions in mother tongue. “There have to be sincere efforts made,” he added.
BBSM had called the BJP ‘father of all liars’ when the saffron party denied having any ties with the outfit over the MoI during the 2012 Assembly elections. The organisation has even warned the BJP of meeting the same fate as the Congress.
