TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Amidst Supreme Court verdict on the Medium of Instruction (MoI) that gives power to students and parents to decide on the medium of education, Goa government has decided to go ahead with its policy and notify the same by next week.
The State policy on MoI makes education either in Marathi or Konkani compulsory in all aided schools from primary level to secondary level from coming academic year onwards.
The Directorate of Education is currently examining the Supreme Court verdict on MoI, which they feel is in conformity with the State policy on medium. “State government will notify its policy on medium of instruction by next week,” director of Education, Anil Powar told Herald. He said the policy would be implemented in phases from the coming academic year onwards.
Powar, without disclosing any further details said the department is currently comparing the SC order on MoI with the State policy and it has been observed that the policy is in conformity with the order. “Also we need to compare the circumstances in Karnataka and Goa, both are different,” he added.
Powar said that the bilingual text books for all subjects (one of the prime criteria of MoI policy) would be made available to the students on the first day of the schools, which are reopening in June.
The SC verdict, which was in regard to Karnataka education system, had divided the State government committee on MoI with some members suggesting government to do a rethink on the policy on lines with SC while others stated that government should go ahead with its own policy. SC order speaks about free and compulsory education to all students.
The Manohar Parrikar-led government at a Cabinet meeting in January, earlier this year, in a bid to find a solution to the vexed MoI issue decided to make education in either Marathi or Konkani compulsory in all aided schools till class IV from next academic year. However, minority schools have been exempted from this ruling and allowed to continue their education in English with certain conditions.
Konkani or Marathi has been made a compulsory subject from classes V to X in all minority as well as unaided schools; and aided and unaided schools where MoI is English, will have to also compulsorily make use of bilingual text books for all subjects. Government has also refused to give grants to all aided schools where medium of education would be English.
