Goa needs an overhaul of its Educational Policy The Portuguese rule ended more than 5 decades ago and British rule even before that. We now have elected Governments at both centre and State which are responsible for framing our policies and giving us good governance. If Governments fail us, we have the power to vote them out, elect new political parties and fresh faces. It is in the light of this that freedom fighter Nagesh Karmali's statement, that the modern day Church is worse than the Portuguese, is fundamentally flawed. Why get the Portuguese, who left our shores in 1961, in every post liberation discussion?
Ours is a vibrant democracy where free speech and expression has a holy place. Like any other individual or institution, the Church too is well within its rights to exercise this freedom. One could agree or disagree with the Church on the position it takes on different issues but it would be wrong to pin-point blame of any one issue on to them. The Government of the day is ultimately responsible for whatever good or bad that happens and the buck has to stop with them. Not at any different individual or Institution. The Church has been doing immense service in the field of education where not only Christians but children from other communities also study. In promotion of Konkani language, their role and that of the Christian community is second to none. Today, many mass services are held in Konkani. V- Ixtt, which is run by the Society of Pillar, a Church institution, is the largest selling Konkani weekly newspaper. Mando festivals are increasingly getting more and more popular. Konkani music has its own charm. Tiatr is a flourishing Industry. Large number of Konkani films are being produced which are running well. Nachom-ia Kumpasar, a movie based on Goan music, has won rich accolades and is winning awards everywhere. So today, if large numbers of parents want their children to be educated in English primary medium schools, why blame the Church or any one community for it? There is a strong case to preserve local languages, cultures and traditions but this must be done through proper dialogues and discussions. Not by unnecessary statements which creates rifts between communities. The Government must play a more pro-active role in settling the primary education issue once and for all. A proper educational policy needs to be adopted on the lines of the recent Supreme Court judgement on primary education. Diverse views must be taken into consideration while formulating a sensible and practical approach taking modern realities into account. While recognizing the huge role English has universally and the need to have good knowledge and command over the language, incentives and scholarships could be given to children who pursue and excel in local languages. Furthermore, the agenda before the Government must not be restricted to solely the medium of instruction, but a thorough thought must be given on overhauling the entire educational system which is long overdue. Educationalists and child psychologists have time and again said cramming before exams is stressful and must give way to periodic evaluation and grading. Learning must become a delightful experience rather than a stress. This is all the more important in a Country like ours with a huge population where there are large numbers of drop-outs. The skills of a child must be evaluated at a young age and steps taken to enable him/ her to pursue a field or career in that direction. Funds must be allocated to create better infrastructure and focus must be on improving quality of education in schools especially in Government schools. Children are the future of our Country and a holistic education policy must be framed keeping solely the future of children in mind. Sandeep Heble Panaji-Goa 9326129171
