Konkani’s loss

This is not the script we ought to be reading. A pre-primary school run by the Holy Family of Nazareth Educational Society is struggling to get permission to start Std I in Konkani in Mastimoll, Canacona. An application was made in August after 125 parents send a written request to the management to start a primary school so that their wards to continue education without having to switch to other schools. A second request is sent in November to the education department and in December the Canacona ADEI inspects the school. In the same month all relevant documents are submitted. With no intimation from the department on the fate of the application, parents approach local MLA and Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar who says he would seek an appointment with Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar. Consequently, the fate of students now hangs in a balance. It’s a disheartening script.

The manner in which the Society that runs the school is being made to run from pillar to post to get permission, that too for a primary school in the official language, speaks volumes of the government’s commitment to Konkani. There appears to be a gap between the promises made by the government and actual implementation of the same on the ground. In his recent Budget, Parsekar laid out an elaborate plan for supporting education in regional languages -- a special grant of Rs 400 per student for primary schools imparting education in Konkani and Marathi. The government also decided to give special grants to non-aided primary schools if they shift to regional languages. These two announcements leave no room for doubt that the government would prefer to pursue a policy of incentives without imposing its view on schools. In the light of these announcements how does one explain the lethargy shown by the education department in the case of the Holy Family of Nazareth Education Society? Is this a deliberate attempt to delay a decision to the point where it becomes irrelevant?

It might be recalled that the Society had made a similar application last year, but was told that it had come too late. This time the Society’s application was made well in advance, but the result appears to be the same. With the academic year coming to an end parents are eager to know the status of the school’s application because in the event permission is denied, which would be a sad event and a complete repudiation of the State’s policy of supporting primary schools in Konkani, they would have to seek admission elsewhere.

In the normal course one would have expected the government and the department to embrace this new school with open arms, especially at a time when English medium primary schools are marching ahead like a colossus. Unfortunately, this has not happened. Any decision – positive or negative, needs to be conveyed to the school as early as possible because a year would be lost if the decision is delayed. More importantly, if the government has taken a decision not to grant permission, which would be a sad thing for the State, then this decision needs to be made public and followed by an explanation as to why permission was denied when 125 parents had expressed their intent to give their children an education in the mother tongue. Something is clearly wrong in the department and it needs to cleared up as soon as possible.