MARGAO
The Advisory Committee constituted by the government under the chairmanship of Bhaskar Nayak to go into the contentious issue of medium of instruction is likely to compile its report by January end.
The Forum for Rights of Children's Education (FORCE), however, has reiterated its stand that the MoI advisory committee was set up with ulterior motive and that the government should take into account the choice of the lakhs of parents, who have favoured imparting primary education to their wards in En
The Advisory Committee constituted by the government under the chairmanship of Bhaskar Nayak to go into the contentious issue of medium of instruction is likely to compile its report by January end.
The Forum for Rights of Children's Education (FORCE), however, has reiterated its stand that the MoI advisory committee was set up with ulterior motive and that the government should take into account the choice of the lakhs of parents, who have favoured imparting primary education to their wards in En
glish medium.
Advisory Committee Chairman Bhaskar Nayak told The Goan that the panel has almost capped the exercise of consultations with parents and stakeholders, promising to compile the report by January end. "We have completed the exercise. I will be ready with the report by January end," Bhaskar told The Goan on Tuesday.
He said the Panel had carried out the exercise in Salcete taluka as well, saying two meetings, one at Cuncolim and the other at Margao, had evoked enthusiastic response from the participants.
FORCE Secretary, Savio Lopes, however, contended, "The panel had some meetings at certain schools upon invitation. The parents were not invited for these meetings. Moreover, no district-level meetings were held and the stakeholders have been kept in the dark over the deliberations conducted by the panel," Savio maintained.
"FORCE has already communicated to the Chairman of the Advisory Committee that that the contents and deliberations leaked to the media have very clearly suggested that the meetings were held in a totally biased manner and that the invitees for the meetings were chosen so as to create an opinion contrary to our demand and contrary to the ground realities and facts present in the state," he said.
From day one, FORCE has questioned the formation of the Advisory Committee and had termed its constitution malafide. "Since the Bill had been deliberated by the Select Committee after a lengthy process, we find it absurd to have the formation of the Advisory Committee to revisit the issue. In fact, the Committee appointed by the government should have gone through the figures presently available with the department rather than creating false opinions and fomenting untrue propaganda," Savio said, while reiterating that sufficient facts, figures and statistics have been gathered from the government to endorse our stand which we feel is in the interest of the people of the state of Goa. "We do not demand that English medium be made compulsory in all schools, but rather the government should let the parents choose the medium for their children with equal grants and support to English-medium schools, so that the rich as well as the poor have equal opportunities," he added.
Advisory Committee Chairman Bhaskar Nayak told The Goan that the panel has almost capped the exercise of consultations with parents and stakeholders, promising to compile the report by January end. "We have completed the exercise. I will be ready with the report by January end," Bhaskar told The Goan on Tuesday.
He said the Panel had carried out the exercise in Salcete taluka as well, saying two meetings, one at Cuncolim and the other at Margao, had evoked enthusiastic response from the participants.
FORCE Secretary, Savio Lopes, however, contended, "The panel had some meetings at certain schools upon invitation. The parents were not invited for these meetings. Moreover, no district-level meetings were held and the stakeholders have been kept in the dark over the deliberations conducted by the panel," Savio maintained.
"FORCE has already communicated to the Chairman of the Advisory Committee that that the contents and deliberations leaked to the media have very clearly suggested that the meetings were held in a totally biased manner and that the invitees for the meetings were chosen so as to create an opinion contrary to our demand and contrary to the ground realities and facts present in the state," he said.
From day one, FORCE has questioned the formation of the Advisory Committee and had termed its constitution malafide. "Since the Bill had been deliberated by the Select Committee after a lengthy process, we find it absurd to have the formation of the Advisory Committee to revisit the issue. In fact, the Committee appointed by the government should have gone through the figures presently available with the department rather than creating false opinions and fomenting untrue propaganda," Savio said, while reiterating that sufficient facts, figures and statistics have been gathered from the government to endorse our stand which we feel is in the interest of the people of the state of Goa. "We do not demand that English medium be made compulsory in all schools, but rather the government should let the parents choose the medium for their children with equal grants and support to English-medium schools, so that the rich as well as the poor have equal opportunities," he added.
