PANAJI: In a statement which will ruffle a few feathers and have Congress leaders squirming in discomfort, former Union minister and five-time Lok Sabha member, Eduardo Faleiro said that Church-run primary schools should stop teaching in English.
Faleiro said schools affiliated to the Diocesan Society of Education should instead teach children in Konkani and Marathi.
Faleiro contended that while Konkani is the mother tongue of the people of Goa, Marathi is and has been the literary language of a large segment of the Goan population.
“The Diocesan Society of Education should ensure that its primary schools teach through Konkani and Marathi and stop teaching through the English medium,” Faleiro said. “Konkani should be taught in the Devanagari script as it will provide access to Marathi and to Hindi, which is the national language.”
The medium of instruction policy has been a touchy subject in Goa, with many parents and schools demanding that the state government continue grant-in-aid for primary schools that teach in English.
The Congress party’s official stand has been to support grants for primary schools that teach in English since English the language required for employment.
Faleiro’s statements, which are in support of Konkani as the medium of instruction, contradict the party’s stance.
The senior Congress leader also questioned the government for failure to implement the recommendations of the Madhav Kamat Committee.
(Times of India)