*Rajendra Kakodkar:* ****
It was the Diocesan Society which mooted the idea of government grants to English MoI. Their motivation came from the fact that the catholic community was preferring private English schools in preference to church run Konkani schools, a genuine reason. The PTAs of the church run schools toed in their line and formed a FORCE to fight the cause. The government on the basis of 50,000 odd signatures upheld the freedom of choice of the parents to choose MoI for their wards and approved the proposal. **** ** ** Response:**** ** ** This is one of the most specious arguments I have read in a long time. It reminds me of the kangaroo courts in banana republics where the verdict is already decided in advance irrespective of the merits and then the process and case is guided to the desired conclusion. Or to give a more contemporary example the non-existent WMD’s pretext used by Bush/ Blair to invade Iraq and effect a regime change so that they could control the oil.**** ** ** Rajendra needs to explain to us:**** **1. **Is Marathi the mother tongue of goans? If not, why are marathi medium schools given grants?**** **2. **Why are kannada and urdu schools given grants? Are they state languages of Goa?**** **3. **Are you aware that English is one of the national languages of India? If not, please refer to the state language of Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand. **** **4. **Are you aware that French is one of the state official languages of Puducherry (Pondicherry)? **** **5. **Who decides whether the MoI should be in which language – the parents or the government? Who are the stakeholders?**** **6. **Is the demand for grants to English medium schools a public issue or a communal issue as the BBSM has made it out to be?**** **7. **Were the Konkani medium schools availing of grants before requesting continuation of grants following switchover to English medium?**** **8. **Are you aware that English medium schools in Maharashtra are given grants? Why did the BJP / SS not stop or protest against this during their reign. Why are they not protesting even now? Why the double standards? One rule in Maharashtra and one rule in Goa?**** **9. **Why do we not see the same intensity and level of protests from the BBSM and its supporters against mining, against unregulated constructons, against corruption, against drugs? Are they not public issues?**** **10.**Can you inform us the percentage of non-christian children studying in Christian schools who will mainly benefit from the switchover to English medium?**** ** ** I have many more questions to ask you. However, I would be reasonably satisfied if you could address the above questions. Regards, Marshall**** ** ** ****
