Petition in HC demanding scrapping MoI circular, interim stay decision on 7 July
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 28 June 2011 13:32 IST
The educationists and parents have now filed a writ petition in the high court, challenging the circular issued by the education department on medium of instruction.
Pandurang Nadkarni, former chairman of Goa Board, as well as three parents filed a petition today, demanding scrapping of the circular, terming it illegal.
The parents, belonging to Hedgewar Highschool of Panaji, are Sadanand Dicholkar, Uday Shirodkar and Mahesh Nagvenkar.
After hearing the petitioner today, the high court has fixed 7 July as the date to give its decision on the interim stay on the implementation of the circular.
The department circular allows all the schools, including government primary schools, to shift to English medium with government grants, while maintaining the present system of imparting primary education in regional languages, including Konkani and Marathi.
The petitioners have raised technical issues as follows:
1. The circular of medium of instruction is not in compliance with the 1984 Goa education Act and 1986 Goa education Rules.
2. It is mandatory to serve a notice to the schools, before implementing any new education rule, in the mid of an academic year.
3. The circular violates the assurance given by Education Minister Babush Monseratte in the State Assembly on 31 March that status quo would continue.
4. Both, the cabinet decision taken on 25 May and the circular issued on 10 June, violate section 154 and 166 of the Constitution of India.
Based on this, the petitioners have prayed before the High Court to declare the cabinet decision as well as the circular null and void.
They have also requested the high court to restrain the government and the education department from implementing and enforcing the circular from current academic year.
