Performance and intellect unrelated to language: Minister from Goa
Subhash Phal Dessai, the Minister of Social Welfare for Goa, said on Sunday that intellect and performance are not correlated with a particular language.
Speaking at a Ponda, South Goa, educational event was Minister Phal Dessai.
We mistakenly believe that pupils who can speak English well are automatically experts, therefore we only send our kids to ‘major schools’ where they get rigorous English language instruction. It’s hardly a guarantee that someone with strong English proficiency is intelligent or talented. Thus, he advised, “don’t associate intelligence with language.”
“Parents need to instill ‘Sanskars’ in their children because our intelligence is not tied to any particular language,” he said.
The minister said, “We need to recognize their skill and support them in that area.
People my age would acknowledge that we attended Government Primary School for our elementary education, where we were taught Marathi. In the fifth grade, we began studying the fundamentals of English. We devoted around six months of our school year to learning this. We had trouble picking up English. However, we can speak in English now,” he said.
In order to ensure that their children speak fluent English, Minister Phal Dessai recommended parents not to put their children through the stress of applying to prestigious institutions.
He stated that pupils should learn other subjects in addition to academics.
