ISince landing in Goa more than a week ago, I have followed the debate on the medium of instruction in primary schools very closely. Today's OHerlado carries a pro vs con pieces by Anacleto Viegas, of the UGDP, gpt Konkani langauge instruction and Tennyson Xavier Fernandes, a former faculty member of Rosary Higher Secondary School Navelim, for English language instruction. Anacleto has said his mea culpa for his volte face,. As as foreign settled Goan I am surprised to read his statement, "So many Goans settled abroad return to Goa and look for a space for themselves, but to no avail.Nothing remains of their inheritance of the mother land. Do we desire that our children suffer from the same emptiness? Our forefathers ailed the seven seas, but returned home to rst and sleep the eternal sleep in the backyard of their homes." If by "space" he remains physical space, then perhaps he is right. Many foreign settled Goans have lost their homes to their own family members and to outsiders because of land and home grab. Many foreign-setteld Goans have willingly sold their homes to others and return periodically to visit the state. But to say that people like myself have lost our inheritance is a wild shot, a statement without substance. True, our children do not know much of Goa despite some of us parents have books on Goa. Some expat children have taking a liking for Goa after they have visit the land of their forefathers at least once. The quest for knowledge about Goa and things Goan is present in them but this quest is not overwhelming.. These children have assimilated themselves in the societies of their "adopted" land or the land of their birth. When Anacleto talks of our forefathers returning home to die, he perhaps have the tarvottis ofrthe non-resident Indians in many Gulf countries who return home permanently once they retire or forced to leave their jobs. Thousands of Goans have migrated to Englan In recent years and thousands are lining up to give up Goa for good to enjoy the welcome in these lands. Many Goans from the Middle East are coming to Canada and many Goan students are studying in the USA with the hope and prospects of getting a good education and a good job for permanent settlement. >From his perspective, Konkani should be the language of instruction. He has backtracked and he has given his reasons why he has changed his mind today. However, he has unnecessarily taken a pot shot at Churchill Alemao, one of the founder members of the UDGP and now its worst enemy. I am told that the Fatorda ground joke credited to Churchill is a made-up one. True, Churchill cannot speak English fluently. He mutilates the language. But let me ask Anacleto what he actually means when he says, "Have we not herd enough howlers from our ministers, especially those who speak no language other than English?" Does he mean to say that the ministers speak ONLY English and no other language? I tend to believe it's a jibe against some ministers, but directly against Churchill. .How many of this young generation heard Dayanand Bandodkar speak English? At the national level many ministers did not speak English, at least a decade or two ago
Eugene Correia
