Goa's medium of instruction policy not in conformity with SC ruling: NCP (ToI)

Goa's medium of instruction policy not in conformity with SC ruling: NCP

TNN | May 10, 2014, 02.04 AM IST
PANAJI: The Nationalist Congress party (NCP) has ridiculed chief minister Manohar Parrikar over the medium of instruction (MoI) issue, saying that the state government policy on the issue is not in conformity with the Supreme Court (SC) ruling.

Welcoming the recent judgment of the SC on MoI which states that only the parents and the child himself/herself has the fundamental right to choose the medium of his/her instruction, chief spokesperson Trajano D'Mello said that with this judgment, the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which provides free and compulsory education and upheld by the SC now stands violated by the MoI policy of the state government.

"The MoI policy was never made in the spirit that it was the parents who had the prerogative to choose the medium for their child

and as such the chief minister's statement that the Goa government's MoI policy is in tune with the Supreme Court judgement is absolutely misleading and a white lie," D'Mello said in the presence of state party president Nilkant Halarnkar..

The government under the guise of patriotism claimed that the primary education was best for the child in mother tongue and as such suppressed the growth of the child in the state by discriminating in doling out grants, NCP said adding that the innocent children for no fault of theirs have been suffering for exercising their fundamental right.

"Since they came to power, the present Goa government in order to stifle the growth of English as the MoI, are further violating the constitutional right of citizens by refusing them the permission to start English MoI schools," said D'Mello.

Rubbishing the contention of the government over grants, the NCP said the argument that the schools had given an undertaking that they would not demand for grants is unconstitutional "as it violates the now interpreted law of right to free and compulsory education of the choice of the parent on the MoI."

"The government should immediately call all the past 21 applicants and check whether they are still willing to start the English schools and they should also publicly advertise and invite applications to those willing to start English schools," he said.

NCP has demanded that the government immediately revisit the policy of the MoI and release the necessary grants to the schools providing English as their MoI which according to the present MoI policy are denied these benefits.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Goas-medium-of-instruction-policy-not-in-conformity-with-SC-ruling-NCP/articleshow/34895311.cms