Aided English primary schools will have to register with minority commission (NT)

Published on: February 1, 2014 - 02:09 PANAJI: The minority primary schools having English as their medium of instruction and eligible for government grants as per the new state MoI policy will now have to register themselves with the National Commission for Minorities in the absence of the state minority commission for availing these grants. Confirming this mandatory requirement, director of education Anil Powar said the 130-odd such schools, which were receiving government grants as per the earlier policy, would now be placed in the minority category. He also informed that almost all of these schools have already submitted related letters from the National Commission for Minorities to the department of education to avail the government grants. However, a number of educationists have argued that although the 130 English medium primary schools receiving government grants, are run by the minority organisations like Diocesan Society, Nazareth Society, Franciscan Sisters, Salesians of Don Bosco and so on, majority of the students studying in most of these schools are Hindus. “Therefore, these schools cannot be termed as minority schools,” they have advocated. The Diocesan Society has however maintained that irrespective of the religion of their students, minority schools are those institutions, which are run by the minority community. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, on the other hand, had maintained that only schools defined as minority under Article 13 of the Indian Constitution would be allowed to opt for the English medium and be eligible for government grants. This ironically goes against Article 30 (2) linked to the Cultural and Educational Rights described under the Fundamental Rights in the Constitution of India, and stating that, “The State shall not, in granting aid to educational institutions, discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority, whether based on religion or language.” http://www.navhindtimes.in/goa-news/aided-english-primary-schools-will-have-register-minority-commission