Goa to administer Konkani training to all govt servants

In their efforts to implement the state's official language act for administrative purposes, the directorate of official language has prepared a 85 page Konkani booklet for the use of government servants and IAS officers. Lessons for the officials in the knowledge of the state's official language, Konkani, are expected soon and the department has printed over 2000 copies of the Konkani manual meant for this purpose which covers the basics of the Konkani language to acclimatise all government officers with the language of Goa.

(pictures in this post are for illustration only - contents are not part of the actual booklet)

The directorate has been set up to ensure the effective implementation of the state's official language and has prepared the handbook for government officials who are still not conversant with the language. Teachers for this purpose are yet to be selected and the number of teachers will depend on the number of employees to be trained for a period of one month. The teachers are to be paid a honorarium to impart the teaching in Konkani.

Essentially, the book is a compilation of basic Konkani words and phrases used in daily life in Goa and their translations. The effort is expected to come in handy for daily administrative tasks. The syllabus of the booklet has been prepared based upon the recommendations of a committee headed by Tanaji Halarnkar and is on the lines of the Central governments Hindi teaching scheme. The committee was comprised of linguists such as Suresh Borkar, Edward D'Lima, Mukesh Thali and Damodar Ghanekar.

The department has so far received names of over 500 employees to undergo the training in the first phase. These include officers and IAS officers who may have been deputed to Goa and have no knowledge of the official language of the state.

Subsequent to the training which will last for 25 days of one month, a test/examination is expected to be conducted which will be based on the time schedule issued by the directorate of Official language.