Com on MoI meets, invites public views
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 04 October 2013 11:48 IST
Goa government has invited views from stakeholders on the controversial issue of Medium of Instruction till 12 October.
The Consultative Committee on MOI will then sit on day-to-day basis to take a final decision on the issue.
The meeting of the committee, headed by chief minister Manohar Parrikar, was held yesterday in this regard.
As per the official communiqué, the views should be submitted to the Directorate of Education, Porvorim, on or before 12 October.
The views can be sent either through a hard copy or by email at powar_anil53@yahoo.co.in.
The views communicated should be signed by either an individual or by a representative of an organization or a group.
As per the information, the committee would go through all the views from 21 October, after the Assembly session.
Persons writing to the committee would be called for personal hearing, only if required.
The MoI was one of the crucial issues due to which the Congress had to lose power while the BJP gained tremendously.
The then Congress-led government faced wrath of the people as it decided to give grants to 137 Church-run primary schools of English medium by going against its earlier decision to give salary grants only to the schools run in Konkani, Marathi or other regional Indian languages.
Goans were divided on the issue with Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch opposing grants to English medium primary schools while FORCE was pressing for the grants.
The BJP was part of the BBSM while the Church was behind FORCE.
However, after coming to power, the Parrikar-led BJP government decided to take ahead the Congress policy to give grants to Church-run English medium schools.
Parrikar, at this moment, had said the final decision in this regard would be taken within three months by the consultative committee.
The constitution of the committee itself was however delayed till June this year, over one year after the new government came to power.
The first meeting of the committee has taken place almost after one and a half years.
The BJP, like the Congress, surrendered to the political pressure by the minorities as it received tremendous response in their favour during Assembly election.
