Govt criticised for enforcing April 7 start to academic year

MARGAO
The Global Romi Lipi Abhiyan has condemned the Education Department for issuing a fresh notification that schools will start from April 7 despite a court order.

GRLA president Kennedy Afonso has said the government seems to be hell bent on imposing the new timings on the parents and the students, without giving scant respect for their wishes.

Saying the process of implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) is a typical illustration of how politicians, can destroy things which are good and essential, Kennedy said the NEP has some well thought out ideas and policies, and therefore needs careful consideration by all stakeholders.

“It’s an irony that the dictatorship is done under the guise of implementing the National Education Policy (NEP). The NEP is student centric and the wishes of the students and the school management must be given first preference. What kind of a government is that that has failed to respect for the genuine demands of the parents, so much so that they had to seek the courts intervention to give them relief? Why is the Education Department not even trying to hold a dialogue with the parents, to resolve the issue? Aren’t governments supposed to be of the people, by the people and for the people?, he questioned.

The Global Romi Lipi Abhiyan president stated that the NEP is not only about school timings but has much to offer. “We demand that a full one/ seminar be held immediately, to discuss the full implications of the NEP with the students, parents, teachers, and school managements. The NEP fosters a multilingual student centred approach that encourages creativity, critical thinking and life learning. However, no one has bothered to take the opinion of the students or parents,” he said.

Saying the NEP policy statement highlights that the “Teacher” must be the centre of the fundamental reforms carried out in the education system, he, however, said no efforts have been done to consult the teachers. “No school institutions have also been consulted, of their opinion on the reforms and timings notified by the Education Department,” he said, while reiterating that GRLA will fully support the parents on this issue.

Kennedy also demanded that a full survey must be carried out to see if the students find Devanagiri difficult to learn in school, and if they would prefer to have Konkani in Roman script as an alternative.