Medium of Instruction - The movement gains momentum

Give our children a good PRESENT

Medium of Instruction is the hot issue in today’s Goa. While parents have asserted their right to choose what is best for the child, the people in power seem to dispute this fundamental right!

Why do we need English as the medium of instruction at the primary level itself? I feel this topic has been debated for years together but no one had the courage to come forth and do something about it. The parents have now given the government a deadline. March 25 2011 is D-Day as far as this medium of instruction issue goes.

There are many concerns raised by different quarters about this issue. May we remind the Leader of the Opposition who is afraid about the fact that Konkanni may go extinct that Konkanni was trampled upon by the colonial rulers for almost 450 years, but it never disappeared. The Rajas and Rulers of those days went into oblivion and were eventually replaced by democracy, but Konkanni never died.

And speaking of democracy, how can you force something down the throats of the people? Are we talking about keeping the agendas of our political and social connections flying Mr Leader of the Opposition or are we talking about the aspirations of the people?

When we think of a technology driven world we think only of English. I have surely heard of many versions of Windows and, of course, about Facebook. But I have not yet heard about ‘Zonelam’ and ‘Tondachem Pustok’! Mind you, I have been computer literate and acquainted with computers; hardware, software, networking et al since 1987. I have been acquainted with the www since 1996. Never have I heard those terms in Konkani.

In today’s world children do not have time to learn the language after they get to Std V. They are already expected by be online downloading information for the projects. When are they going to get acquainted with English? The irony is that a child has to study on four years I Konkani/Marathi. After that it is English all the way. English is accepted as a means of correspondence in government dealings. Even legislature and parliament use English for communication. English is a well established language for communication. We can also call it a link language.

I think it is wrong to defend something wrong. This is a democracy and we must have a choice. We cannot be left with choices that suit a few groups and trusts who want to make English education a business.

It is high time English is added on to the list so that grants can also be given to English medium schools. Let every school decide which medium they want to opt for. This can be done in consultation with their respective PTAs.

When a child is educated in the Konkanni medium and then comes into society, they usually think in Konkanni and then try and translate their thoughts into English and this can give very embarrassing results. As a friend, who has studied in the Konkani medium, once said: “I busy am. I not coming to meet you. I outer outer going. Neighbour noise making near my house. He fighting with my old mother. And and want!”

Well, I guess we can read the meaning for ourselves. But since, except for four years, the rest of our lives is dominated by English as a language of communication, we must rethink our policy. We need to give our children a good live. Remember we need to do it TODAY. I strongly believe that today is a gift and that is why we call it PRESENT. Let us give our children a lovely present at the start of the academic year next year.

Medium of Instruction choice in Goa

Time for some mature thinking on Medium of Instruction

The struggle to bring back English as the medium of instruction in the primary classes has gained momentum. There are many conflicting views amongst our legislators on this aspect. But the parents are of one mind on the matter.

Surprisingly, some schools in the cities of Panjim and Margao have not bothered to make a move to support this great cause. In fact some principals feel that nothing will come out of this move. But a vast majority have pinned their hopes very high. This is simply because the freedom to choose what is best for the children by the parents supersedes all other intellectual thinking processes.

Well, if the unaided schools lobby is to be protected, then the resistance amongst the legislators would be very stiff and equivocal. But here, this being election preparation year, most of the MLAs have decided that this is a movement they cannot oppose without seeing some drastic results in the long run!

It is interesting to note the statement made by the Leader of the Opposition. He claimed he studied in the Marathi medium in the primary level. He found it very difficult to switch over and speak English in the later years. But he improved his English only by reading.

Granted, that Mr Parrikar took a lot of trouble to learn the English language and mastered it as well. But in these days of extreme pressure (the students were not pressurized much during the days Parrikar Bab was in school, I am sure), why do you want to burden these small minds with so much extra intellectual baggage? If they learn in the English medium right from the start, will they not avoid the ‘struggle?’ Mr Parrikar claims to have faced while switching over from Marathi medium to English medium in Std V? Would these small, innocent minds not be better equipped to deal with the growing English popularity? Despite having the largest spoken language in the world, Mandarin, as part of its linguistic culture, the Chinese have realized that only English can make it a strong partner in this world of globalization and economic development. Closer home West Bengal has realized it, and quickly, many states have begun to realize it. Also Mr Parrikar must realize that all students are not at the same intellectual level as he is. So, it is a fact that some might take longer than he did to pick up the language. Wouldn’t it be too late to learn after the primary level? But if they started with English from day one, things could be much easier as they get to class V and later… Why does the Goa government, despite Goa having such a high literacy rate, giving us the impression that they are playing to a lobby run by well-known businessmen who manage unaided education businesses in the name of Trusts, around Goa? We need some mature thinking coming from the icons of democracy - our MLAs.

As this movement has clearly pointed out, there is a vast difference between medium of instruction and learning a language. Medium of instruction must be in the language that is best for communication. In this case English is a globally accepted choice. Konkani is absolutely important and must be a compulsory subject from Std I to VIII, to conform to Elementary Education as defined in the RTE.

The Education Minister has brought forth a proposal to finalize the policy of medium of instruction by the end of this budget session of the assembly. He has promised to consult all stake-holders while finalizing the process. Who, may we know, are these ‘stake-holders’? Are they the Chief Minster, Education Minister, Chief Secretary and Director of Education? Two days have already elapsed since the announcement has been made. The budget session is not going to last long. Why has a list of these so called stake-holders not been announced? There seems to be a definite attempt to shy away from being transparent. Also it seems to be a statement made only to try and stop parents from coming together in large numbers at Azad Maidan for the meeting that was held there in regard to medium of instruction.

The Digambar Kamat led government is famous for this move. The man himself has already made a vague statement when he realized that over 50000 signatures of parents had been collected. Besides activity on facebook and other networking sites will tell you that we have overwhelming support for the cause. The web-spies of the men in government seem to have already informed them about the goings-on. So, the statement was made by both the chief minister and education minster in an attempt to dilute the effects of the Azad Maidan meeting. There have been similar instances in the past. When a large group of entertainers met some time ago at Clube Gasper Dias at Panjim regarding the sound restrictions, probably threatened by the numbers, some MPs and MLAs proposed to support the cause of easing sound restrictions. But four years later, as expected, nothing has happened. We must be weary of attempts like these by these gentlemen.

English is undoubtedly the language of communication the world over. We need to plug into global reality while also taking into account the local scenario. So, given the global scenario and other compulsions, English as medium of instruction and Konkani as a compulsory subject is the only option we have left before us. We must do this for our children. But, we need to be aware that our children are not our future. They are citizens of the present and are very much part of the present. We are looking at a better present for them. If we do this the future will look after itself. We, as parents need to take the right decisions for them. We need to remind the government that we parents are major stake holders in the policy-making process. We should have a right to decide what is good for our children. We don’t need a very lowly educated bunch of individuals deciding for us. Even the highly educated seem to have biased thinking.

As parents, we do hope better sense prevails. Let every parent and child benefit from a very well thought out decision. English needs to be the medium of instruction. What we need to further think is how to improve the standard of English in schools after the merciless battering it has received all these years - twenty years to be precise!

What ails Goa?

Can Goa go the Bihar way?

Recently I had the privilege of visiting Patna. Many would wonder why I would call such a visit a privilege. Bihar, and its capital Patna, have not been spoken about too kindly by people in general. Yet, I would vouch and say that I particularly enjoyed by three-day stay in Patna.

In the days the people of Bihar would like to put beyond their memory, someone buying even a Maruti 800 would receive a ‘love-letter’. The letter would ‘lovingly’ demand some money from the proud owner of the new vehicle (probably his first car). If the matter was brought before the police, the men in khaki would take the role of ‘negotiators’ and would bring about an ‘amicable settlement’ with the proud owner of the new car shelling out much less than the initial demand. Of course the ‘negotiators’ did not provide their services for free. They needed to be well looked-after for their ‘good negotiation skills’.

The Bihar, and more particularly, the Patna of today has changed drastically. The taxi driver who drove us from the airport to the hotel, the cobbler (whose services I had to avail of in an emergency), the shop owners, the hawkers and even some prominent doctors and law professionals in Patna are all praise for the change. In the last few years, special attention has been paid to decrease the crime rate, provide education for all, improve infrastructure and develop health-related facilities as well.

The results are there for all to see. I was roaming the streets of Patna at 11pm; a walk, which considering one’s own safety, was impossible around five years ago, I was told. The roads are a treat to drive on or walk on. There is so much that has been done to improve the conditions of roads and other facilities, as regards travel. The city of Patna is being developed in a very organized manner. I was surprised to see the number of malls that seem to be converging on the place. Of course, if you consider cleanliness and the airport, then there is much left to be desired.

The former Advocate General of the State is now the Education Minister of the State. This is an example of the firm commitment the government has made to keep the Education Ministry alive with a highly educated individual who knows the intricacies and the importance of education. Also, people of integrity are holding top positions in various government corporations and commissions. A retired high court judge of Patna judge heads the Law Commission. There are many professionals involved in the process of developing Bihar. The state is pretty big, but the development is moving at a steady pace, ensuring overall sustainable development.

In contrast, I look with great concern over my state, my beloved Goa. Every minster has been appointed with ‘political compulsion’ as the only criteria. The Law Commission is headed by a politician. Politicians, though qualified, are known to be biased. The trend of giving experts ministerial posts started with our present Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being given the Finance Portfolio that triggered off economic reforms in the early 1990s. These reforms, though some would differ strongly, I feel keep benefiting us in a big way.

In Goa, unfortunately, no importance is given to professionalism. Every minister is appointed to ensure that the Chief Minster does not lose his ‘Kodel’. The few MLAs who have not much vocal power and/or cannot pull strings strongly enough, are left in the lurch. We have the only woman legislator in Goa who is vociferous and yet cannot find a cabinet berth even now, though some first time MLAs with ‘God Fathers and Fathers’ at the top, find berths so easy to come by. Also, these first-timers are there because they can so easily pull the ‘Kodel’ away from behind when the Chief Minister while he is not looking and has turned his attention away from what is happening behind him. He does not want to be surprised by these stunts lest he finds himself tottering on the floor! They have not got over playing those childish games! This forces the Chief Minister to play to the ‘Kodel’ removers. And these childish games lead to an ineffective government, as we are witnessing at the present time.

Does Goa need a ‘benevolent Dictator-cum-Chief Minister’;? one like Bihar probably has at the moment? I would say we need to put aside those so called party affiliations; it is the person and his deeds that matter. When a person understands the needs of the people who have put him there, development can take place much quicker and with the faith of the people.

In Goa we have the habit of working by the ‘fits-and-starts’ method. It is so sad to know that nothing goes by any planning. A plan is made and implemented not really taking into consideration the near future or even worse the distant future. There are clear signs that ‘other considerations’ go into these developmental works. While we see the tar being put on the road, another stretch with newly laid tower is already falling victim to some digging activity. Basically, there seems to be no coordination. This surely comes from the lack of leadership.

Well, we can conclude: None of those who are in power are really interested in the development of the state. Their motto is self-development. It is obvious, but most of the time nobody cares. Have we in Goa become so blind that we cannot see?

I recently received an SMS that spoke of leadership. It says and I agree: “A group of sheep led by lions will always defeat a group of lions led by a sheep.” The truth is there for all to see. A mild leader does not get anywhere, but he can survive his ‘Kodel’ even without doing anything for his people. He does not require our votes, he has publicly proclaimed. What will our stand be?

With Goa being just a fraction of the size Bihar is, can development at a sustainable pace be planned and implemented here. Maybe it is time for us, citizens, to bring about the answers. Our elected representatives seem to have lost their thinking power while they are being led by an ineffective leader.