MARGAO: The message is crystal clear; parents will no longer allow politicians to take them for granted with empty promises on the Medium of Instruction (MoI).
At two general body meetings of the Forum for Rights of Children to Education (FORCE) – the first held in Panjim on Friday and the second in Margao on Saturday – the parents were unanimous that the MLAs should be grilled on the MoI issue, keeping in mind the upcoming Assembly elections.
This was a suggestion from the parents, who decided to make a criteria list upon which MLAs, ministers and politicians will be judged for the next elections. “Based on a suggestion from the parents at the meeting in Margao, it was unanimously decided that the children will be taken with the parents to their respective MLAs and ministers’ residences,” said FORCE secretary Savio Lopes after the meeting.
The parents at the packed hall thundered their approval and raised their hands in unison at the suggestions and decisions that were put forward. “We don’t trust the government or the promises anymore,” said Lopes, when asked if they are hoping their demands will be implemented in the March Assembly session.
At the meeting, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar was criticised for going back on his promise and they pointed out that he was not just the Chief Minister, but the chairperson of the select committee.
Parents expressed anger that Parsekar’s assurances to expedite the select committee decision fell flat. They were most angry with the 11 MLAs who had given written assurances to FORCE’s executive committee and how they could not stay true to their word. They wondered how they could believe any promise these 11 MLAs will make for the elections on this issue.
Without naming anyone, Lopes and FORCE president Premanand Naik spoke about how MLAs and ministers gave them tall promises and had even offered to resign from their posts and go on a fast. They added that these same MLAs and ministers are now claiming that they had never made such a promise.
FORCE members, however, pointed out that they have recordings of these verbal assurances and the evidence will be discussed with the parents at the right time.
Fr Zeferino D’Souza, Secretary of the Diocesan Society of Education (DSE), assured the support of the school managements to the cause of the parents. While he recalled how the government had made the parents wait for more than four years, Lopes reiterated that the single unchanged demand of the parents since FORCE’s inception has been for right to choose the MoI. He added that it was for all schools, be it private or public, and shot down insinuations that they only wanted it for minorities. Parents from all communities were present for the two meetings.
The meeting ended with parents in agreement that they could not wait longer and that they are now compelled to ask the politicians questions on the MoI for the coming elections and judge them on that and their stance and performances on MoI in the past.
It may be recalled that during the last elections, they had asked political parties to make their stance on MoI clear in their election manifestos.
