RSS denies running Eng primary schools
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 06 July 2016 20:28 IST
Goa’s RSS leader Subhash Velingkar has denied the allegation that RSS or Vidya Bharati runs English medium primary schools anywhere in India.
“I pity Savio Lopes for making such an allegation without proper research”, said Velingkar, referring to the accusation made by Forum for Rights of Children’s Education (FORCE) convenor by quoting India Today cover story.
India Today cover story, dated 25th April 2016, had observed that RSS has changed its stand on medium of instruction at primary level and runs few hundred schools in English medium.
“RSS never runs any school. We are committed to Hindu Sanghatan. But Vidya Bharati runs schools, which are operated by RSS Swayamsevak”, said Velingkar.
None of these schools are in English medium, clarified Goa’s RSS chief.
According to him, Vidya Bharati is the biggest educational NGO in the world, which runs 25,875 schools, including 7500 primary schools.
Even in Goa, he said, Vidya Bharati runs 52 Shishu Vatika and 15 primary schools in Marathi medium, not in English.
“Even Savio Lopes becomes a Swayamsevak if he comes to our Shakha and sings our prayer Namste Sada Vatsale Matrubhoomi. I am not aware if any such RSS workers run English primary schools”, he said.
Writer Pundalik Naik also countered Lopes’ allegation that Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch is opposing government grants to deprive Bahujan Samaj from learning in English medium.
“Bhausaheb Bandodkar was the undisputed leader of Bahujan Samaj of Goa and he started hundreds of government primary schools in Konkani and Marathi. I am the product of Bhau’s Bahujan policy”, he said.
