Grants to Eng medium schools will continue: CM
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 27 July 2015 13:10 IST
It’s now clear once again that the existing policy of the BJP government to give salary grants to the Church-run English medium primary schools would continue.
But regarding passing of the bill on the issue of Medium of Instruction, the government doesn’t want to talk until the bill comes back from the select committee of the Goa Assembly.
Meanwhile, FORCE has started its chain hunger strike at Azad Maidan, demanding passing of the bill and giving salary grants to all the English medium schools.
With the monsoon Assembly session beginning from today, the MoI issue has come back to haunt the BJP government once again.
Opposing the demand of FORCE, the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch has also flexed its muscles, demanding stopping of grants even to the Church-run English medium primary schools.
Actually, it was a question BJP’s Panaji MLA Siddharth Kuncalienker had raised regarding the strength of the students in various schools.
But his party colleague from Calangute, Michael Lobo, seized the opportunity to link it to the MoI issue.
“The question is not related to MoI”, speaker Rajendra Arlekar tried to skip it.
But Lobo said Siddharth’s question has a sub-question relating to MoI, thus he is eligible to raise the issue.
Hesitatingly, chief minister Parsekar then agreed to reply as Lobo requested to clear the public impression whether the existing grants to English medium schools would be discontinued.
“No, the existing grants would continue”, clarified the chief minister.
But he was quick enough to add that his government’s general policy is to promote primary education in mother tongue and not English.
Lobo also wanted to know about the pending bill on MoI.
But BJP MLA Vishnu Wagh came to rescue his leader, suggesting that he should not speak on the issue till the bill comes back from the select committee.
Parsekar immediately upheld the suggestion while Lobo was stopped by speaker Arlekar to speak further on the issue.
