Full text of cabinet note on proposed MoI policy

GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 05 June 2012 16:49 IST

CM Manohar Parrikar briefing the media, along with Vishnu Wagh, Sudin Dhawalikar & Wilfred Mesquita

Following is the full text of the Cabinet Note that proposes Government policy on the controversial issue of Medium of Instruction, read out by chief minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday at a press conference.

The issue as regards Medium of Instructions has become a subject of public debate as well as Judicial Scrutiny in view of the hasty cabinet decision taken by the earlier Government; deciding to permit English classes and to give grants to English Primary Schools at the cost of closing down Konkani / Marathi Schools; without any larger consultation. The Policy in force from 1990 was abruptly sought to be changed without considering any Pros and Cons. This led to writ Petition being filed in the Hon’ble High Court which after hearing the matter had granted interim order not to give effect to the impugned decision. The Government has now assured the Hon’ble High Court that it will take a fresh decision on the matter.

Accordingly; views of the parents, teachers, school managements, officials were ascertained and in order to give finality to the vexed issue, a fresh cabinet decision may now be taken.

In the case of English Medium Students Parents Association v. state of Karnataka and Ors, this is what the Hon’ble Supreme court observed in  its Judgment reported in 1994 (1) SCC 550:

“All educational experts are uniformly of the opinion that pupils should begin their schooling through the medium of their mother tongue. There is great reason and justice behind this.  Where the tender minds of the children are subject to an alien medium the learning process becomes unnatural.  It inflicts a cruel strain on the children which makes the entire transaction mechanical.  Besides, the educational process becomes artificial and torturous.  The basic knowledge can easily be garnered through the mother tongue.  The introduction of a foreign language tends to threaten to atrophy the development of mother – tongue. When the pupil comes of age and reaches the 5th standard level, the second language is introduced. The child who has not taken Kannada as a first language is required to take it as a second language.  At the secondary stage the three –language formula is introduced.  However, in cases non –Kannada speaking students grace marks up to 15 are awarded.  Certainly, it cannot be contended that a student studying in a school from Karnataka need not know the regional language.  It should be the endeavor of every state to promote the regional language of that State.  In fact, the Government of Karnataka has done commendably well in passing this G.O.  Therefore, to contend that the imposition of study of Kannada throws an undue burden on the students is untenable.”

However, the Government will also have to address itself and consider if there would be any element of compulsion especially on the children belonging to the linguistic minorities other than Konkani; and some provision may have to be made in this regard. Children coming from linguistic minority as such cannot also be discriminated against although they are bound by the State Policy of Konkani / Marathi to be the Medium of Instruction at the primary stage of education. In order to protect such children of linguistic minorities some added protective measures need to be taken.

Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, on more than one occasion emphasized on the mother tongue being the medium of Instruction.  He forcefully said: -

“ The babe takes its first lesson from its mother,  I, therefore regard it as a sin against the motherland to inflict upon her children a tongue other than their mother’s for their mental development .

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I hold it be as necessary for the urban child as for the rural to have the foundation of his development laid on the solid rock of the mother tongue.

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Who can calculate the immeasurable loss sustained by the nation owing to thousands of its young men having been obliged to waste years in mastering a foreign language and its medium of which in their daily life  they have the least use and in learning which they had to neglect their own mother-tongue and their own literature.”

As promised in our manifesto, our Government is firmly committed to encourage primary education only in the mother tongue of the child and in this regard, the State Government will take all necessary steps to impart quality Education in all Schools.          It has been observed that there is a serious handicap of resources as well as infrastructure which hampers the process of learning in the schools and thereby affecting quality of Education accorded to the students.   As a result of this and there being no proper amenities  of the infrastructure  as are required for proper implementation of the primary level school courses, many parents are forced to prefer English and send their children  to English primary schools instead of Konkani / Marathi schools.    This is a serious issue which the State Government has decided to overcome imminently and as a result of this the Government contemplates granting permissions to new primary schools, opting to impart primary education in Konkani/ Marathi.   For such schools, one-time initial special grant of Rs. 12 lakh, and Rs. 1 lakh P.A. for next five years as well as full grants one or above salary grants shall be given so as to improve and set up the necessary infrastructure as well as build up resources in these Schools.   In this regard, the State Government proposes to amend suitably the Goa School Education Rules to overcome the distance criteria.  This will additionally also help to create employment opportunities to persons comprising non teaching staff and teachers who can teach in the regional languages of Goa.

A most disturbing feature of a completely  unfortunate development on account of the deliberate casual approach of the earlier Government  in the Educational sector solely on account of the politicization  of an  important Educational issue  without having regards to  either law, logic or principles of Governance  is an  abrupt announcement of grants to those existing Konkani / Marathi schools which were allowed to switch over to English overnight, through a  cabinet decision as well as the  circular,  issued in a manner creating confusion of  the entire issue in the minds of the schools.    It is found that some schools had already shifted and started teaching English in these schools, as a result of the circular and were being given grants by the Directorate of Education despite an order in a Public Interest Litigation directing the Government not to give effect to such decision.   Records brought about vital facts and exposed the attempts of the Directorate of Education as well as those in the earlier Government being parties to the deliberate violations of law and Judicial Orders by either being silent about it or clandestinely encouraging it.  We will ensure that hereafter neither the law nor any orders of the court are permitted to be violated in any matter whatsoever.    

Given the above situation, the net result is, if the Government today decides to abruptly discontinue existing grants to such schools then large number of students studying therein and comprising almost 25,000 or so may get seriously affected without any fault of their own.  The default in this regard can never be attributed to the students under any circumstances.  It is also seen that the school managements were under complete confusion on account of the overenthusiastic statements made by the politicians in the earlier Government so as to gain popularity in total disregard to law.   It is now felt imperative, given these circumstances, and therefore the Government is of the considered opinion that students of such institutions cannot be made to suffer for misdeeds of the politicians in   the earlier Government.  Such over enthusiasm and obsequiousness can never be permitted or resorted to in matters of Governance under our constitution.  

Having considered the matter from all relevant angles ; perusal of the National Education Policy; provisions of the Goa School Education Act, 1984 and Goa School Education Rules, 1986; provisions of the National Right to Education Act, 2010 ; as also the report submitted by Prof. M.S. Kamat Committee and the views by  experts all of which clearly and uniformly holding the opinion that Primary Education ought to be in the MOTHER TONGUE of the child; and in order to bring about academic discipline as a regulatory measure by a policy decision, the State Government  proposes  as under : -

1. At the primary level, the teaching in the primary schools shall be only in the mother tongue of the child i.e.  Konkani or Marathi as the case may be. 

2. Subject to exception provided hereinafter, only Konkani / Marathi Primary Schools shall be entitled to receive grants.

3. The State Policy is to encourage Primary Education in the mother tongue of the children i.e. with Konkani and Marathi being the regional languages of the state and in this regard, the State Government shall initiate all steps to increase the number of schools in the regional languages namely Konkani / Marathi and give financial assistance as well as full grants over as above free salary grants or special grants to all such Konkani / Marathi schools proposed to be started in the state. 

4. So however, having regard to the fact that minority / certain Institutions in the State which were prior to 10th June, 2011 imparting Konkani / Marathi primary education, and have thereafter simultaneously shifted to English and started English Primary classes shall   continue to receive grants so as to give continuity to these schools and especially having regard to the fact that the students in these schools cannot be made to suffer. 

5. The aforesaid schools will be entitled to continue receiving grants provided they fulfill the following : -

a)    Such schools were Konkani / Marathi schools until 10th June 2011 or thereafter. 

b)    Have started English classes at the primary stage during the last academic year wholly or partly .

c)    That none of such schools had given an  undertaking to the Directorate of Education stating that they would not            claim grant in aid from the State Government to establish or run such English Primary Schools.

6. The Government has also noted that provisions of  “  The Right of Children to free and Compulsory  Education Act 2010” which  is in  force and Section 29(1) thereof requires the curriculum and the evaluation procedure for elementary education to be laid down by an Academic Authority as per the guidelines envisaged in Sub \section (2) thereof.

7. State Government has already taken steps to  forthwith constitute such Academic  Authority.  

8. The Academic Authority shall submit its report to the State Government on issues required to be dealt with by such Authority in terms of the statute.

9) The decision of the State Government shall come into force at once.


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Previous Comments

A whole Ramayana is written singing praises of mother tongue and then in one shot the whole thing is nullified giving the excuse as injustice to students. While there may be injustice to those students who have currently moved to English as MOI in church-schools, how will there be injustice to those who havent yet started studies in English? Grants have to be stopped after current students graduate, in the worst case.

- Samir Kelekar, Bangalore | 05 th June 2012 18:43

 

Now the reasoning given by the CM makes perfect sense. Full marks to the due diligence by Mr. Parrikar. It is now time we focus of content of education than the language.

- Melvyn Ferrao, Agacaim | 05 th June 2012 17:49

 

A page is dedicated to singing praises of the mother tongue and in a few lines, mother tongue is betrayed at the end. This is betrayal of the highest kind and needs to be opposed tooth and nail.

samir

- Samir Kelekar, Bangalore | 05 th June 2012 17:49

 

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