Date:19/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/19/stories/2006061907010700.htm

National

Rane firm on reforms in education

Special Correspondent

PANAJI: The Goa Government has ruled out changing its decision to "usher in reforms in the primary education system".

To prevent the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies from hijacking the sensitive issue when the State Assembly elections were hardly a year away, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) recently decided to close ranks and support Education Minister Luizinho Faleiro over the proposals that upset the Marathi activists.

Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane ruled out any rethinking on the issue when the Action Committee of Marathi activists called on him recently.

Mr. Rane agreed to call a meeting of Headmasters' Association to discuss with them the issue of relaxing the norms for allowing new schools before they were notified.

Mr. Faleiro had appealed to the Opposition to keep politics out of education. He refuted the allegations that he was trying to ruin Marathi language education by introducing English as a compulsory subject from Standard I at the primary level. Giving examples of States such as Maharashtra and West Bengal, Mr. Faleiro said Goa lagged behind by at least five years in ushering in this reform. Far from destroying them, this step would halt the process of closure of language schools by stopping the exodus of students from regional language schools to English-medium schools, he said.