To save Konkani, teach English: Tomazinho
Herald: Your comments on making English compulsory with one primary
subject in Konkani has sparked off a mini storm among some elements in
the Church
Tomazinho: One priest Fr Mousinho de Ataide ridiculed my remarks. I wish
he had understood that what I said, if implemented will go a long way in
preserving the catholic education of the Church.
Herald: How is that so?
Tomazinho: In Church schools Konkani is taught in Devanagari script
because that is the official script of the State. Without any offence to
the script and without calling for any change in the status conferred to
it, I am saying that let parents have a choice of the script. I
confident that 90 per cent of the parents who send their children to
church schools will opt for the Roman script.
Herald: But you are advocating primary education in English
Tomazinho: Yes with one compulsory subject in Konkani. And if it is
Roman script, then the combination English primary education and Konkani
in roman script will be perfect. The irony is that the Church does all
its religious activities in the Roman script but teaches Konkani in
Devanagari script. We are doing away with our own people by denying them
access to Konkani by advocating it in a script which is not as
comfortable as the Roman script. When English is taught in primary
schools, accepting Konkani will be easier through the Roman script. At
this point of time there are thousands of schools where the medium of
instruction is Marathi. Then there are many private schools which do not
promote Konkani. We need to counter this imbalance.
Herald: But there seems to be an opposition to this
Tomazinho: I hope the Konkani pundits who are undoubtedly scholarly,
understands that we will not get this generation to embrace Konkani
unless we make it easier for them to learn it I the roman script. Let
there be a serious thought to it based on practicality.
http://www.oheraldo.in/news/Local%20News/To-save-Konkani-teach-English-Tomazinho/46040.html
Church was right to switch to Konkani: Uday
Herald: Will imparting primary education in Konkani in Roman script help
arrest the decline in enrolment in these schools at the primary level?
Bhembre: No, not at all. The aversion is not to the script but the
language. People like Tomazinho are trying to fool the people. Parents
are asking for English, they have reservations on Konkani or are not in
favour of the language as the medium of instruction. The argument that
Konkani in Roman script as the medium of instruction is totally irrelevant.
Herald: But, there have been arguments in some quarters that enrolment
in schools is on the decline with parents opting for private English
schools.
Bhembre: I feel that this is the just the pretext to propagate either
Roman script or English education. Incidentally, not all Romiwadis share
this view. To my mind, only Tomazinho Cardozo has been expressing this
view to have education through English medium.
Herald: Tomazinho Cardozo has recently said that Church-run schools are
heading towards disaster if the Church does not change its policy on
primary education or do not impart primary education in English. Comment?
Bhembre: This is happening throughout the country. There is a
misconception that children have to be in an English school to become
proficient in the language. You are destroying the fundamental doctrine
of education in the young minds. This, certainly, is not in the interest
of the children.
Herald: It’s been two decades since the Diocesan Society of Education
switched over to the Konkani medium of instruction at the primary level.
So why this demand for primary education in English?
Bhembre: According to me, the Church took the correct decision to
switch over to Konkani as the medium of instruction at the primary
education on two counts. One, the Church has been consistently following
a policy worldwide to encourage local languages.
Secondly, educational doctrine suggests that the medium of instruction
at the primary level should be in the mother tongue of the child.
http://www.oheraldo.in/news/Local%20News/Church-was-right-to-switch-to-Konkani-Uday/46039.html
