Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Non-Goan community too want English

HERALD CORRESPONDENT
Non-Goan community too want English
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
CALANGUTE, APRIL 5
For them English is still a foreign language, yet the growing non-Goan community along the Calangute coast has also voiced the demand for government grants to English medium in primary schools.
The State government has come in for sharp criticism from non-Goans in the coastal Calangute over the issue of English medium of instruction at the elementary level in the schools.
Incidentally, the Catholic parents along the Calangute coastal belt are not the only ones demanding an option for English medium of instruction.
The non-Goans who have admitted their wards in the aided English medium schools have criticised the decision of the State government.
Majority of the non-Goans belonging to a lower class of society, who either work in hotels or engaged in lower income self-employment businesses like carpentry, plumbing, etc.
“Why should the government deny our children the right to learn English at the elementary level? In fact I got my children admitted in a Catholic institution due to exorbitant fees at the private-run English school,” says Prakashji from Orissa.
“Dekhiye bhayii, abi Angreji bhasa me sabh kuch hota hai to apnem bachom ko dusri bhasa me kyo padaum? (When everything now happens in English why should I teach my children in other medium of instruction),” he questioned.
Says Rajat from Rajasthan, “When I came to Goa and realized that Goans have the privilege of educating their children in the languages they desire, I also felt of sending my children (daughter and son) in a Catholic school so that they can learn English and be of use in the near future in my business.”
“Today, I am not able to write in English, so I have to beg at others to write any application, etc, for any government department, which unfortunately accepts anything and everything only in English,” said Rajat.
“Other languages including Konkani are hardly of any use. Konkani language will be of no use to us when we go to our state in Rajasthan,” added Rajat.
Adds Siva Kumar, “The government and the politicians are playing with the education of the young budding children of this country. Why have they to discriminate between English, Konkani, Marathi or other languages.”
“Who are they to decide which language should be the medium of instruction, of our children? Are they so illiterate to understand that the need of hour in the globalized world is the requirement of English language,” questioned Kumar.
Few other non-Goans who have been sending their children in the schools run by Catholic institutions have criticized government’s decision and see it as a election strategy to keep away the BJP.

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