With four Catholic schools coming under Sena threat in a week, it is but obvious that politicians are out to make full use of problems in admissions to gain some brownie points. Even if that involves throwing away self-proclaimed ideology to the winds. It is ironical that the custodians of Marathi can go to any extent to ensure a seat in an English-medium school. Appealing to public sentiment by thundering to uphold the state language is one thing. But when reality strikes, the same moralists do not shrink from threatening a Catholic school principal -- all for a seat in an institution run by `outsiders'.

But the admission problemgoes much beyond Sena pramukhs and gun-toting bodyguards nonchalantly walking into schools. The growing demand for English-medium schools only shows that the government needs to take a long hard look at its own double-standards and hypocrisy. From 1985, the state government has stopped giving grant-in-aid to English-medium schools. At the same time, the staff have to be paid according to scales fixed by the government. With the result that schools have started charging donations and other additional fees to meet their expenses. The very fact that this has not deterred parents is only a pointer to the popularity of English-medium schools. And unless the government starts giving grants -- which in turn will encourage more English-medium schools to come up -- the police will end up doing the rounds of schools to keep away politicians seeking a slice of the admission pie.