Grants to English medium schools would continue: Goa CM

With hundreds of parents taking to streets over the issue of English as the medium of instruction, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar assured in the Assembly here today that grants to the English medium schools would continue.
"The grant given to the English medium schools will continue. There will not be any reduction in grant. Government is very firm on its stand," Parsekar said during a discussion in the House.
Several MLAs objected to the flash strike called by Forum For Rights of Children's Education(FORCE), an organisation of parents, which left the traffic paralysed across the state.
FORCE is demanding English as the medium of instruction at the elementary level and a law to ensure that grants for English medium schools would continue.

While several MLAs said that stern action should be taken against the agitators, Parsekar said he would pardon them as they had been misled.
"Parents of children at Diocesan School were called during the prayer in the morning (by school authorities) and told to block the traffic...I will gather all the information related to these incidents," said Parsekar.
Certain elements with "terrorising mentality" were instigating the people, he said. "We don't want anyone to disturb the communal harmony. The grants given to English medium schools will continue. Parents should not fall prey to (designs of) those who are trying to sow confusion," he added.

Earlier, raising the issue, BJP's Vishnu Surya Wagh said protesters even forced students to take part in the blockade. "This was not a flash strike but a conspiracy implemented in a planned manner. This is an attempt to pressurise the government," he said, alleging that as the BJP government in Goa was performing well, this was an attempt to defame it and the Chief Minister.