Dilip, good thinking...& writing, even if I have to agree to disagree on some points. Of course Rico would defend his school, I recall him being there right from the time he was old enough to go there though I spent just 3 years there myself. But let us just say I got "my corners chiselled, rounded, polished etc." during those 3 years before passing out from the School.
I didnt come across accusations as such except for some facts of course (too many to enumerate here anyway & waste the time & patience of some if not all) & yeh I do agree with you on certain points especially your last para. It is always good to know more than 2 languages even if one cant be a linguist, hence it irked me that my parents didnt get me speaking Portuguese though they were more fluent in the language than in English at that point in time. They (I dont who) say it is never too late to learn, so perhaps I should start on the Portuguese & you could start on the Konkani - It is quite easy if learnt in Roman script. Those who understand the way education works in Goa today, would be able to read between the lines of what is being said. Perhaps this para of Rico should set us thinking......??? Annette From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [SALIGAONET] Congratulations to Saligao's SSC students... Date: Mon, 26 May 2014 10:43:34 +0000 A very robust defence of the school, FN! You raise interesting questions but avoid interesting accusations at the same time! If the school is accepting students on the basis of payment, we have a big problem, unless the school is completely Independent and enjoys no state or church subsidy, direct or indirect. The payments also have to be in line with taxation regulations. The same factors determine whether discussion at Panchayat level is appropriate or not. I suggest the existence of some form of subsidy is inevitable, and discussion at the panchayat is therefore appropriate. The issue of Language is as old as the hills, and is really why I picked up my pen. I myself was brought up almost never to hear Konkani. The fact I know no Konkani must be one of the biggest regrets of my life, compounded by the fact that I truly have a disability when it comes to learning languages and cannot rectify the disability. I cant count the number of times I have met Goan people in different countries and their first question to me has invariably been "do you speak Konkani?" to which I have had to bow my head in shame. Looking from the outside in, I now see clearly what so many elders told me in years gone by about language and culture. I understand why the South African whites insisted on Afrikaans. Why the blacks refused. I can understand why the Brits only spoke English in their colonies and why the Portuguese introduced so many incentives to promote their tongue in Goa. [Some of you may now understand my reluctance to promote the gratuitous, divisive and unnecessary use of their language by way of greeting at church feasts]. Religions have also understood the techniques of çontrol', and have always promoted a 'proper' language of worship (Arabic or Latin) for similar sorts of reasons. Modern English however is different. It no longer belongs to anybody though it still has grammar, idiom and syntax that are easily connected to its origins. I thoroughly enjoy well-spoken and well-written English (read Stephen Fry). But the connection with English culture is blurring as it has become the universal language of trade, science and the internet. Whilst English-speaking Indians still are a set of people with definable characteristics, their connection with England is fast fading. I believe therefore that all schools (worldwide) should be English medium but that (in Goa) Konkani should also be taught in all schools and taught well. Just like all the colonial powers of yore, we should remember that the best way to destroy identity is to destroy language. Dilip From: [email protected] Date: Mon, 26 May 2014 14:35:11 +0530 Subject: Re: [SALIGAONET] Congratulations to Saligao's SSC students... To: [email protected] Those who are demanding admission for children in the school also have a duty to ensure that the school is given all facilities to expand and grow to its full potential. It is easy to fling wild allegations. Everyone wants priviledges and a share of the cake; how many have taken the trouble to build up institutions of this kind? I have been a neighbour, a student, an alumni and a parent-of-students at the Lourdes Convent. From 1967 or so, I've seen the work and dedication put in to build this institution, by the FMCK nuns (from Sr Veronica, Sr Adelaide, Sr Lily and many, many others) and the teachers and so many non-teaching staff. Sr Lily I've known from the time she was a primary school teacher, till she became the principal, and she has been always been very cooperative and supportive. Those who understand the way education works in Goa today, would be able to read between the lines of what is being said. For a long time (around 1992-2012), Devanagari Konkani was forced down the throats of parents and students. Nobody wanted to join the school then! Now, Lourdes Convent has an English-medium primary school again, we are bound to see all kinds of pressures for admission! Should education and our institutions be politicised? Can those who are lobbying for the benefits of having a good school in our village also do something to build it further? In my view, LCHS should have got permissions to start and run at least a higher-secondary school, if not a college by now... consider all the excellent work it has put in since the 1940s. The funding situation is very tight for education in Goa today. If you are a well-connected even-if-semi-literate politician or ex-MLA, you can set up a higher secondary school or even a college! The rest are left to the wolves. They are then beaten with the we-are-not-getting-admission stick. Is school admissions a matter for discussion at the panchayat level? Lourdes Convent has recently set up a school for students with special needs. It is a well sought-out institution. Have we bothered to ask what is needed to create and build such institutions? The government pays some of the costs involved; where does the other money come from? The school has been very open in taking in students from diverse backgrounds. My daughter has just completed her SSC from Lourdes Convent, and both my brother and me studied there till Std VI. Here's wishing the school grows from strength to strength, and one day becomes Our Lady of Lourdes College! FN On 26 May 2014 09:20, 'Ashley Delaney' via Saligao-Net <[email protected]> wrote: While congrats are in order, Yesterdays Gram sabha threw up a totally different story and picture. some highlights on the topic that came up under AOB. a villager "surya" wrote a letter bringing to the attention of the gram sabha the apparent refusal of the Lourdes convent authorities (principal) in giving admission to students from Saligao. When his letter was read, the sarpanch also made a mention that his children were also denied admission. all the panch members revealed that all 9 had gone in a delegation to the school, but were told in no uncertain terms that no villager of salgao would be allowed admission. wen probed, members revealed that only if you approached with a hefty "donation" could you get admission, as first preference was given to students from calangute who were high paying. in fact a claim was made that the PTA was actually running the school and getting admissions done. with many members expressing thier anguish that this was actually going on for almost 3 years now and only JUST being made public, the Gram sabha resolved to write to the school and the department of education about this denial of rights by the school under the Right to Education. considering that the matter took a good 15 minutes to discuss, many more things were said - but the concise summary is as above. Ashley On Monday 26 May 2014 02:43 AM, Frederick FN Noronha फ्रेड्रिक नोरोन्या *فريدريك نورونيا wrote: Congratulations to all those who got through their SSC exam at the Lourdes Convent, results declared on Sunday May 25, 2014. Here's wishing all the best to all the students, and may they do well in all the real-world exams in their upcoming lives too. (All marks are good enough. It depends what use you make of it in your life, and how you use the knowledge you've garnered to make this a better world!) -- FN Phone +91-832-2409490 Mobile +91-9822122436 Blog: The View From My Window http://wp.me/1c1F About.me: http://about.me/noronhafrederick Goa,1556: http://bit.ly/Goa1556Books2 -- -- Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe email [email protected] --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- Important: This e-mail is intended for the use of the addressee and probably doesn't contain information that is confidential, commercially valuable or subject to legal or Ashley related privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, (although you may find that hard to believe), you are notified that any review, re-transmission, disclosure, use or dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited by several Commonwealth Acts of Ashley. If you have received this communication in error please notify The Man Ashley immediately and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments. -- -- Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe email [email protected] --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- FN P +91-832-2409490 M +91-9822122436 http://goa1556.in -- -- Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe email [email protected] --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. 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