Goa NCP says academicians should decide MOI issue

Panaji (Goa): Goa Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has said that experts committee should decide on the much debated Medium of Instruction (MOI) issue, and not the politicians.
 
Addressing a press briefing in the capital, NCP Goa President Surendra Sirsat further said that the state executive has decided to distance itself from commenting on the issue pending the Delhi meeting called by Congress party to resolve it.

The recently concluded meeting was chaired by Union Human Resources Minister Kapil Sibbal in the presence of state Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, other cabinet ministers of the state and supporters of English as MOI.

“The MOI issue has to be decided by the academicians and not politicians. The state executive will not speak anything on the issue but wait for a final outcome of the Delhi meeting,” Sirsat said.

While Congress party is yet to announce its decision on the MOI, local media today reported that the government has settled on English as the MOI, creating flutters among many across the state.

Goa is divided over the issue and has witnessed a series of vigils and protest rallies on the MOI.

While parents and educationists have formed a pressure group – Forum for Rights of Children’s Education (FORCE) demanding that English to be included as the MOI at the elementary level, a new outfit – Bhartiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) is supporting state’s regional languages as the MOI.

Political parties including Bhartiya Janata Party and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party have joined hands stating that they would not allow English language to be recognised as MOI.

Entangled into the controversy, Goa government sought union government’s intervention after which All India Congress Committee’s Goa desk incharge Jagmeet Singh Brar said that it would take a final decision after analysing all the view points of various groups
involved in the MOI debate.

Source: New Kerala