Team Herald
MARGAO: Sounding the bugle for the 2017 elections, the Forum for Rights of Children to Education (FORCE) will work against any political party which mentions in its manifesto that they it would withdraw grants to English as the medium of instruction if elected to power.
This was discussed at the first of the two general body meetings of FORCE held at Grace Church Hall, Margao for South Goa on Tuesday afternoon. The North Goa general body meeting will be held in Panjim on Wednesday at 3.30 pm.
The consensus at the end of the meeting held at the packed hall was that all manifestoes of political parties will be under strict scrutiny. It may be recalled that FORCE, during the 2012 elections, had urged the political parties to make their stand on MoI clear in their manifestos. Responding to queries, FORCE general secretary Savio Lopes recalled that the group had decided to stay apolitical in the last election and that BJP in their manifesto had stated that they would find an amicable solution.
Savio criticised Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar for disrespecting the House after making an assurance on the floor of it about the MoI bill but then backtracking on that promise. Questioning how the people can trust the CM after his volte face, Savio then focussed his tirade on the elected representatives that were part of that elaborate promise during the time of the hunger strike.
Secretary of the Diocesan Society of Education DSE, Fr Zefferino D’souza has called on parents to remain united and stand by each other through difficult times ahead and that the DSE management will support and back whatever the parents decide.
Earlier, referring to the hue and cry by the RSS after he had used a reputed national magazine to point out that RSS runs English medium schools, Savio dared the RSS to file a defamation case against the magazine if they believed the facts were not true. He further brushed aside the defence put forward that it is not the RSS but RSS workers and said there is usually not much difference between RSS and their workers otherwise and so it amounts to the same.
Savio also referred to a statement made by those opposing that they don’t have a problem if the parents send their children to private institutions and said that this proves that they only have a problem with the poor and under privileged.
Accusing the BBSM of using religion to divide people, Savio said that history had shown that the rulers used the divide and rule technique to rule upon the Bahujan Samaj.
He added that it was not just the poor and under privileged but also the rich families who have chosen to send their children to English MOI and that they also are faced with logistic issues like the private schools are located at too far away or concerns regarding securing admissions in the 5th standard after the completion of primary school. He said why should they be deprived of such an opportunity or any parent for that matter and that the right to decide should be left with the parents only.
