One-month course in Konkani for government servants

PANAJI, Dec. 30, 2008

- All government employees will have to compulsorily undergo classes in Konkani so as to equip themselves with minimum knowledge of the language. Training for the purpose will start soon and in Devanagari script.
The government servants will all have to go through a one-month course and after the period of training they will have to answer a test.
It is pertinent to note that knowledge of Konkani is compulsory for a person to be eligible for government service.
This decision has caused a lot of heartburn among government servants, who however cannot articulate their grievances. But quite a few of them say that if a person does not have a minimum knowledge of the language he should not have got into government service in the first place.
And if they do not know the language then one month is too short a time to learn it.
Explaining the reason for the government�s step, the official language department director, Mr Menino Peres -- the implementing authority for this scheme -- told �The Navhind Times� that as all states are governed by their official language and �As the Goa�s official language is Konkani, the administration has to run in Konkani; every state government has to implement the language (act) of the people.�
�The official language is in Devanagari script so the training will be in Devanagari,� he said and went on to argue, �As of now according to the Official Language Act the script is Devanagari.�
The Goa Konkani Akademi president and KPA stalwart, Mr Pundalik Naik concurred with this and informed that he was a member of the official language committee.
Observing that knowledge of the local language is beneficial especially as people from different language backgrounds may not know the local language, former speaker of the state legislative assembly and Roman Konkani stalwart, Mr Tomazinho Cardozo stressed: �Whatever the government does should be beneficial to all sections. So training should be both in Devanagari as well as Romi scripts.�
�I had put up a proposal at a meeting of the official language committee that the training should be in Devanagari along with Romi script,� he argued.
Mr Cardozo -- former president of the Dalgado Konkani Akadami -- also felt that the one-month course was too short and should be longer and with proper gradation.
The notification also prescribes financial incentives, like cash awards for those who clear the test.
However, the notification exempts employees who have passed their matriculation with Konkani or had the subject during their graduation, and will include all state government employees, state government undertakings, co-operative banks, financial institutions, autonomous organisations, etc owned or controlled by the state government �whose knowledge of Konkani is below the prescribed level.
�You cannot prepare officers to read, write and more importantly to understand the language,� he pointed out.
But Mr Naik disagreed with him saying though it is a very short-term course this course is worth it. �For the time being it is okay,� he said.
Mr Peres too felt that the course duration was okay as most people know the language and the course would help in the day-to-day working.
He informed that even as of today printed forms for leave applications are in Konkani and most departments are using them.