ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE
Those opposing English MOI have a chequered background
By Nisser Dias
nisserdias at gmail.com
SMS to 9422437029
The Congress legislative party in Goa did it once again, it has done
what it is best at – dashed the hopes of its voters by doing a volte
facie on the ‘Medium of Instruction’ (MOI). And this time round they
have stabbed parents of school going children and retracted from the
promises of including English as one languages for MOI from the next
academic year from primary level onwards.
The demand of the parents was simple give us the right to choose the
best for our children, do not impose your view and dictate terms to us
as we are living in a democracy and not under dictatorial rule. And to
make their point, tens of thousands of parents gathered at Azad Maidan
at a very short notice as a show of strength.
Here too promises were made by Congress party ministers and legislators
that they respect parents anguish and would address the same promptly.
But as days passed not only anti-English activists but also anti-Goans
came together to forge a group to oppose grants to English medium
schools in the state of Goa.
The people that are opposing grant-in-aid to English medium of
instruction to our children are not at all parents of school going
children, but some old haggard’s having no standing in the society and
wanting 15 minutes of fame and publicity. For example Shashikala
Kadokar’s love for Maharashtra is well established as she along her late
father’s side tried to merge Goa with Maharashtra. Today she is spent
force wanting to stay in the public eye. It is also well established
that she has no love lost for the Konkani and will not lift a finger for
the development of the mother tongue. What is she interested is in just
making Marathi popular here in Goa. Should the government even take
cognizance of this anti-Goan?
Then we have members of the RSS in the group opposing English as the
medium of instruction at the elementary level. These are the people who
had assassinated Father of the Nation Mahtatma Gandhi and were banned
for many years. These are anti-national group who are also involved in
terror activities in Mumbai. But they have the cheek to term parents as
anti-national just because we are demanding English to be included as
medium of instruction. Chief minister Digambar Kamat and Leader of
Opposition Manohar Parrikar belong to this Hindu Fundamentalist outfit.
Do we need these elements who breed and propagate hatred, ill-will,
intolerance, fanaticism to tell us how to educate our children?
Then we have so called educationists in the group also. What can one
except of personalities like the ones who go on a rampage of desecrating
sign boards. How can they be role models to our children. And the less
said about the priests supporting the movement against English is better
as even the church has kept them at bay from the laity or its flock.
Such are the elements that have formed a pressure group to oppose a
genuine demand of lakhs of parents. Sadly though Congress ministers and
MLAs are falling prey to these personalities. Their only claim is that
if English medium of instruction is allowed it will divide communities
on communal lines and destroy the harmony and social fabric in the state.
Such logic does not hold any water as most of the private unaided
English schools has equal number of students of either community
studying in complete harmony. The only difference is that these parents
can afford exorbitant fees charged by the managements of these schools,
while poor are left behind. This is an indication that communal
politicians and communal educationists like the ones grouped together to
deny children their right to be educated in English medium of
instruction should not be given the ear by a responsible government.
Secondly a sizeable percentage of Hindu community students are studying
in schools and convents run by the Archdiocese Board of Education and
Diocesan Society of Goa in a secular fashion. How would allowing English
as MOI destroy this fabric. It is only the wild imagination of the
fundamentalist in BBSM.
However the government of Goa basically constitutes of Congress party
MLAs who times in memorial have not only used, misused and abused the
minority voters but have also taken them for granted for a simple reason
that minorities do not subscribe to the BJP idealogy.
But now it is seems that the Congress’ run is over. People may forgive
for the harm caused to themselves but no parent will forgive somebody
for the harm caused to their children. And this time all the parents
should consciously vote against any MLA who is opposing English medium
of instruction. It should not stop at that, all the ministers and MLAs
specially the ones from Salcete, who had attended the FORCE rally at
Azad Maidan and showed their solidarity with the parents but as today
have back-tracked should be shown the door. As for the chief minister
Digambar Kamat, from the very beginning nothing much was expected of him
as his is a member of the RSS whose aim is to be the main stake holders
in the education sector, secondly his closeness to most of the
managements running English unaided private schools who are Saraswats
and most importantly his government is of the ministers, for the
ministers and by the ministers and Digambar Kamat will go to any level
to cling on to his chief minister’s chair.
The fight for inclusion of English as MOI is far from over. Before the
commencement of the new academic year parents should boycott classes,
the ABE and Diocesan Society of Goa should keep their schools closed
till the government gives in to the parents demand and lastly parents
should vote against those MLAs who are not only opposing English medium
of Instruction, but also those collaborating with the chief minister and
those not support the Education minister who want to bring about the
change. (ENDS)
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First published in Gomantak Times, Goa - March 31, 2011
