Future of Konknni Education by Pratapananda Naik, S.J.

 

 

Future of Konknni Education

Pratapananda Naik, S.J.

(The shorter version of this article was first published in "Herald" English daily in Goa on 10 September 2012)

 

After the liberation of Goa, in majority of Catholic schools the medium of instruction was English. At that time in Margao city, three Catholic schools experimented to have Konknni medium primary schools in Devanagari script. However, the experiment did not last. Majority of Catholic schools then introduced Konknni in Devanagari script as a third language. If Konknni in Roman script was introduced with the standard dialect of Bardeshi, which is promoted by the Church and mass media, the history of Konknni in Goa today would have been different. Majority of the students who were studying Konknni were from the Catholic community. They were familiar with the Roman script and Bardeshi dialect. But Bardeshi dialect was not taught in schools. A different dialect called Antruji was thrust upon them in the name of Konknni and nationalism. According to Late Mr. Ulhas Buyanv, one of the stalwarts of Opinion Poll in Goa and veteran Konknni singer, ‘a Konknni dialect of 3% of Hindu Saraswats was forced upon 30% Catholic community’. The teachers were from the majority community!

            In 1990 Bombay High Court ordered private managements to pay the government pay scale to their primary teachers. These primary schools were of English medium. Instead of challenging this verdict in the Supreme Court, managements approached the government for assistance. The government decided to give grants only to those schools which use Konknni, Marathi or any other recognized Indian language as the medium of instruction. The Catholic community leaders especially the priests and nuns were asked to run their schools in Konknni medium to avail the grants. This major decision created innumerable problems for parents to educate their children in Konknni medium. Besides, it further increased their dislike to Konknni in Devanagari script. Those who were financially better off preferred to send their children to English medium primary schools. Those who belong to the Hindu community continued to send their children to either Marathi or English medium schools.

      As on 30.09.2010, Catholics were in forefront in Goa to run 130 Konknni medium primary schools (Std. I-IV). Hindu managements run only 6 Konknni medium primary schools and 48 Marathi medium schools. Goa Government runs 64 Konknni medium schools and promotes 874 Marathi medium primary schools. Why the supporters of Devanagari script and ‘mother tongue’ do not bring pressure on the Government and Hindu managements to start more Konknni medium schools?  In March 2011 the primary education scenario in Goa began to change due to Right to Education (RET) 2009 Act of Central Government. RET recommends that as far as possible the primary education be in mother tongue up to VIII std. In Goa practically in all schools from V Std. onwards the medium of instruction is English. Therefore, the parents and the management were disturbed by this new policy. The parents of students who are studying in minority schools demanded from the government to allow them to switch over from Konknni medium to English medium. Supporters of Marathi and Devanagari script for Konknni resisted this move under the banner Bharatiya Bhasa Suraksha Manch (BBSM). BBSM dragged the matter to the High Court. The present government took a practical and bold decision to solve the problem. From the academic year 2011-2012, 127 primary schools run by the Archdiocesan Board of Education have switched over to English medium with grants from the government.

            The vast majority of Devanagari supporters send their children and grand children to English or Marathi medium Primary schools! Though Konknni is the State Language of Goa in the entire State there is not a single Konknni medium middle school or high school. While 11 Marathi, 5 Urdu, and 6 Kannada medium middle and high schools are found in Goa. Though Konknni is the official language of Goa, it is not a compulsory language in schools! In Maharashtra one cannot complete X std. without studying Marathi. Only in Goa one can complete his/her entire education without learning Konknni!       

            So far at the X std, numbers of students who opt for Konknni as the third language have not crossed 45% of total number of students who appear for the examination. At the XII Std, numbers of students who opt for Konknni as the second language have not crossed 35%. According to the reliable sources the majority of these students are Catholics. Christian management high schools offer Konknni as a third language. Most of the government high schools in North Goa District do not offer Konknni. A number of schools run by the Hindu community do not offer Konknni as a third language! Devanagari supporters close their eyes to this naked reality. 

            Whatever may be the medium of instruction, the proponents of Devanagari script should have demanded from the government to make Konknni a compulsory subject in schools.  So far they have not done so. Why? The reason is crystal clear. As per the Official Language Act (OLA) 1987, Marathi has been safeguarded in educational, social and cultural fields. Therefore, Konknni cannot be made the compulsory language or even as a subject in Goa for the education.

            It is proclaimed by the supporters of Devanagari that hundreds of students have opted for Konknni at B.A. and M.A. and they still continue to do it. When we analyze the composition of these Konknni students, majority of them are girls.  They opt for Konknni to get a degree till they settle down in life. To get a paper degree, Konknni is the easiest subject because grammatical and spelling mistakes are totally overlooked and ignored! Boys do not opt for Konknni. They know very well that there are no job opportunities for Konknni in Goa except for teaching field. Thus higher education in Konknni as become an opportunity for socialization and to obtain degree for upward mobility for those who have enough time to waste their time, money and energy.

            In Goa literate Hindus know the Devanagari script. Yet the vast majority of them prefer to read and write Marathi and not Konknni. 10 Marathi dailies are sold in Goa. "Herald" group which owns Herald English daily and owned by a Catholic wants soon to launch a Marathi daily in Goa! This fact proves that Marathi is the most popular language after English for reading and writing.  Konknni in Devanagari script is highly Marathicized and Sanskritized. Yet, the Hindu Community has not accepted it!  Why the majority of the Hindu community which speaks Konknni has rejected Konknni written in Devanagari script? One of the answers is it uses the Konknni dialect of Brahmins. The common Hindu community known as Bahujan Samaj does not want the domination of Brahmins. They know the fact that two Brahmins were responsible to invite the Portuguese to conquer Tiswadi, Goa from Adilshah, because he preferred the local Bahujan samaz members as his office bearers. During the Portuguese rule the Brahmins who learnt Portuguese language profited by the government high posts. Therefore, the Bahujan Samaj prefers to identify with Marathi which they learnt in schools, which is common to both Bahujan Samaj and Brahmins.

            Though Konknni is the State Language of Goa only 30.93% of total Konknni population is found in Goa!  Konknnis are spread out mainly in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala States. They use different dialects and scripts. Konknni is written mainly in three scripts, namely, Roman, Devanagari and Kannada. Konknni is required only to maintain their cultural identity.  In this context, Konknni does not help as a medium of instruction, as a common media for communication or to earn one’s livelihood. So far Konknni is survived because it is a vibrant spoken language. "One script, one dialect, one community" principle has not succeeded so far to unite Konknnis. If we force this ‘Unity in uniformity” principle Konknnis will survive but Konknni will perish.  The protagonists of this principle implicitly believe that Aryans, Brahmins, Sanskrit and Devanagari script are inseparable elements of the common umbilical cord and they are ‘holy, pure, standard, and best,’ for all!! 

            Why the Devanagari lobby opposes the inclusion of Roman script either in OLA or in the education system?  The logic is simple. If the Roman script is given its due place, Konknni in Devanagari script will be reduced and eventually it might die a natural death and the hegemony of Devanagari proponents and Brahmins will be laid to eternal rest!