THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO: The Global Romi Lipi Abhiyan has expressed concern that the Goa Staff Selection Commission will be discriminating minorities for government jobs if Konkani examination papers are set only in Devnagiri.
The Abhiyan has further said the recent Supreme Court judgement could have serious impact on the people of Goa, including students who apply for post graduate medical seats in the GMC, government jobs and schemes.
Referring to the Goa SSC decision to introduce a reform by making Konknni a compulsory subject for its examination, GRLA president Kennedy Afonso said this is done with an intent to prioritise sons of the soil and ensure fair selection process. “While on paper it looks fair, the fact remains that the entire question paper will be set in Devnagri script only , which will put the minority community children at a disadvantage, and mostly children from the majority community will get the jobs’, he said.
He added: “Presently, the Goan Catholic community applying for jobs have been put at a disadvantage, as most question papers are set in Devnagri script, which most applicants from the minority community hardly use. In order to make it more inclusive, the government must come up with a solution to protect the interest of both communities or it will result in discrimination of one community, for government jobs. It’s high time that the government of Goa looks at the issue of the Konknni language, so that no community is discriminated”.
Kennedy said the recent SC Judgement poses an existential threat to the future of Goan youth, saying promoting Konknni through Roman Script is the defence against it. “In a judgement, delivered on January 29th 2025, the Supreme Court of India observed that the concept of regional or provincial domicile is alien to the Indian legal system. All citizens of India carry a single domicile, which is the domicile of India. The court made these observations, that Residence based reservation in PG medical examinations in medical colleges. This judgement could have serious impact on us Goans, as all our students who apply for post graduate medical seats, in GMC, govt jobs , and schemes”, he added.