Policy demanded for Konkani education with professional prospects
TANVI BAMBOLKAR, PANAJI | 23 January 2016 19:06 IST
Dr Prakash Parienkar at 30th Konkani Parishad (Photo: Antara Bhide)
Dr Prakash Parienkar, head of the Konkani department at Goa University, has expressed the need to have a vision document to make Konkani education strong enough and attractive.
Though the seminar at the 30th session of All India Konkani Parishad was meant to introspect, the panellists spoke more about their experiences and made suggestions, with little analysis of present state of Konkani education.
The session on 'Konkani education: an introspection’ was presided over by Goa’s eminent educationist Madhav Kamat.
Dr Parienkar strongly proposed the need of a policy document on Konkani education, especially laying down grounds to study Konkani from secondary level.
“It should also chalk out a roadmap for Konkani students in terms of job opportunities or professional prospects”, he said.
Six factors play a significant role in education, he said –the linguistic groups, school management, parents, teachers, students and the government.
Konkani education today also lacks proper management, said Dr Parienkar, who personally runs educational institution in his home town of Valpoi.
"Parents hesitate to send their children to study Konkani because it lacks in knowledge texts. We need to develop Konkani as a knowledge language to attract more parents and children," opined Parienkar, who is also a researcher.
According to him, well-equipped Konkani schools and orientation centres for Konkani teachers would contribute a great deal in making Konkani a professional product.
Queenie Viegas, a Konkani teacher at Carmel College, admitted that Goans still have a complex regarding Konkani and to take it up as a profession.
Riddance of this complex will help in making people realise that one can earn after studying Konkani, he felt.
"Students who get the lowest percentage get admissions for Konkani at graduation level, resulting into lowering the standard of Konkani”, observed Bhalchandra Gaonkar, another Konkani teacher at Rosary College
Manoj Kamat and Rajashree Sail also spoke.
