PANJIM: The contentious Medium of Instruction (MoI) Bill will not be tabled in the Assembly next week.
Friday’s long-awaited meeting of Goa Legislative Assembly’s Select Committee on MoI failed to reach a conclusion, further delaying tabling of the policy during the five-day winter session of the assembly, starting on January 11.
In the hour-long meeting at Secretariat, the committee – chaired by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar – decided to ask the Education department for additional information such as data on the number of schools in the State and the total strength of students in each school.
“We did not take any decision. We will have to have another round of meetings before formulating the proposed Bill and taking our stand on the policy,” Parsekar said after the meeting.
The July 2014 cabinet note approving grants to English medium primary schools, along with the draft copy of the proposed Goa School Education (Amendment) Bill, was also circulated to the members at the meeting.
“Some members say that there is a difference between the draft of the proposed amendment to the Bill and the cabinet decision. We will have to study everything before taking a decision,” Congress MLA Digambar Kamat, who is on the committee, said.
When asked whether the Bill will be tabled in the Assembly next week, he replied in the negative stating, “I don’t think so because the officers are busy.” It is, however, learnt that the Bill will be placed during the Budget session of the Assembly in March.
Last year the government had assured to table the contentious Bill during the winter session of the Assembly after FORCE leaders demanded that the cabinet decision giving grants to English schools be converted into legislation.
BBSM on the other hand has demanded withdrawal of grants to the Diocesan-backed schools failing which it will move the court. Until the issue is settled, grants to school will continue, one of the committee members said.
With the exception of MGP MLA Lavu Mamledar, all other members of the Select Committee attended the meeting.
