By Eduardo Faleiro.
> The > fundamental right to education of all children up to the age > of 14 years is > enshrined in our Constitution. The State Government must > provide the required > facilities to the students so that they can exercise this > Fundamental Right.. > Free Education means not merely free from tuition fees but > also adequate > classrooms and teachers, free uniforms, text books and other > educational > material. > > In > 2006, the State Government constituted a committee of > educationists chaired by > Prof. Madhav Kamat to suggest measures to encourage, promote > and consolidate > primary education in vernacular medium schools. The > Committee submitted its > report in November 2006 and recommended long term measures > to regularise > primary schools as well as a 15 Point Action Plan “to be > implemented on a war > footing by making appropriate financial, administrative and > organizational > arrangements so as to secure the beneficial effects from the > beginning of the > ensuing academic year in June 2007.” Most of the 15 points > have not been > implemented up to this date. Among the recommendations which > have not yet been > implemented are the following: > > - > Each and > every one teacher school should > be turned into a two teacher school. There should be no one > teacher school > anywhere in Goa. Such schools have a deleterious effect on > the quality of > education. > > - > All the > existing vacancies of teachers > in Government primary schools should be filled on top > priority basis. > > - > Multiple > classes should not be taught by > different teachers in the same room.. This practice is > educationally unsound as > the students cannot concentrate.. Only one teacher should > teach in one room.. > > - > The non > educational tasks other than the > election duties assigned to Government primary teachers > should be withdrawn.. > Election duties should be restricted to duties related to > polling. > > - > Cadre > headmasters for schools having a > minimum enrolment of 200 students should be > provided. > > - > Clerical > assistance to the schools > having a minimum enrolment of 200 students should be > arranged. > > - > All > untrained teachers should be > imparted training facilities on an urgent basis without > affecting their > teaching commitments. Training programmes should be > centralised and carried out > during holidays and free time available to the teachers. In > case the training > of teachers is carried out during vacations, appropriate > earned leave should be > given to them as per the rules. > > - > Short > programmes must be organized for > orienting teachers so that teaching and learning becomes > joyful, creative and > burden free. > > UNESCO > and leading educationalists across the world agree that the > use of native > languages in early childhood education enhances self > confidence and academic > performance. In Goa, the language of study at the primary > level should be > either Konkani or Marathi. Konkani is the mother tongue of > the people of Goa. > Marathi is and has always been the literary language of a > large segment of our > population. The Madhav Kamat Committee has recommended that > English should be > taught as the second language from the first standard > itself. Konkani should be > taught in the devnagri script as it will provide access to > Marathi and to Hindi > which is the national language. Children will learn the romi > script when they > learn English. > > Cultural > nationalism is growing across the world. In India, in the > next generation, > those who are not fully conversant with national languages > are likely to be > deprived of jobs and other spheres of activity. Emigration > will also become > difficult. All countries including those in the West as well > as the Gulf > countries have tightened their immigration controls and > increasingly provide > jobs only to their own nationals. > > Government > should hold programmes to sensitize parents as to the need > for their children > to learn in the mother tongue. The State Government and the > schools should > collaborate with the West Zone Cultural Centre under the > Union Ministry of > Culture to conduct programmes for the youth so that they > appreciate their > national heritage and culture. There are also private > organizations such as > Spic Macay and Intach that conduct similar > programmes. > > We > celebrated on June 18 the Goa Revolution Day. On this > occasion, the Governor of > Goa mentioned that episodes of Goa’s Freedom struggle > should be a part of the > school syllabus. Indeed, it is very important to preserve > the memory and > teachings of the Freedom Movement. Selected writings of Dr. > T. B. da Cunha, > known as the Father of our Freedom Struggle, were published > in 1961 under the > caption “Goa’s Freedom Struggle”. The book is > presently out of print. It should > be reprinted and it should be in the curriculum of schools > and colleges so that > it provides a much needed sense of direction to our society. > In 2011, I > arranged for a portrait of Dr. T. B. da Cunha and at my > instance it was > unveiled in the Central Hall of Parliament by the Speaker of > the Lok Sabha on > December 19, 2011, the 50th Anniversary of Goa > Liberation, in the > presence of the Prime Minister, Union Ministers, Leaders of > Opposition in the > Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Congress President and all Goan > MPs. The portrait is > now on permanent display at Parliament House along with > those of the foremost > national leaders. Thereafter, I requested the then Speaker > of the Goa > Legislative Assembly that the portraits of Dr. T. B. da > Cunha as well as of the > other leaders of our Freedom Movement should be unveiled in > our Legislative > Assembly. He wrote to me that necessary steps would be > taken. However, so far > nothing has been done in this regard. It should be done > now. > > > > (The writer is a former Union > Minister) > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
