Primary Education Scenario in Goa by Pratapananda Naik, S.J.

 

Primary Education Scenario in Goa

 

Pratapananda Naik, S.J.

17 April 2011

 

According to the statistics published in the book List of Recognised Educational Institutions in Goa 2009-2010 of Directorate of Education, Panaji  there is not a single Government Konknni medium primary school in Pernem, Bicholim, Sattari and Ponda talukas!  67 Government Konknni primary schools are found in the following talukas. 4 in Bardes, 8 in Tiswadi, 1 in Sanguem, 5 in Quepem, 2 in Canacona, 41 in Salcete and 6 in Mormugao. Out of the 67 Konknni medium schools run by the Government the highest number 41 are in Salcete Taluka and the least, namely only 1 is found in Sanguem Taluka. The highest number of Government Marathi medium schools 143 are found in Ponda Taluka. The least number of Government Marathi medium schools 17 are in Mormugao Taluka. In Goa there are 27 Urdu medium, 15 Kannada medium, one Telugu medium and 4 Hindi medium primary schools are found. Of these 3 Urdu medium schools are run by the private management and the rest of the Urdu medium and other language medium schools are run by the Goa government.

 

130 Non-government (Private) English medium schools are spread out in 11 talukas of Goa as follows: Pernem 6, Bardes 30, Bicholim 5, sattari 3, Tiswadi 24, Ponda 9, Sanguem 1, Quepem 1, Canacona 2, salcete 35 and Mormugao 14.

 

The highest number of non-government Konknni medium schools are found in Salcete Taluka with 43 schools. Sattari Taluka has only 1 Non-government Konknni medium primary school.

 

As per the data published by the Directorate of Education, Panaji, in the academic year 1991-1992 there were 135 English medium schools run by the government agencies like various village Panchayats and Municipalities. In the same year there were 1011 Marathi and 113 Konknni medium schools were run by the government. Non–government managements were running 179 English, 26 Marathi and 123 Konknni medium primary schools.  At that point of time the present day “pseudo educationalists and mother tongue propagandists” did not find anything wrong in the educational system.  Then why are they raising objection to extend grants to English medium schools. The answer is crystal clear. They want to continue their hegemony over the minority community and common people. They are afraid that their Marathicized Konknni in Devanagari script will be pushed to periphery and eventually will die a natural death at least in education and in literary fields.

 

From the data published by the Directorate of Education one could definitely conclude that parents do not prefer Konknni medium schools. They prefer either Marathi or English medium schools. Those parents who want to send their children to Konknni medium schools are deprived because in their locality there are no Konknni medium schools and they are forced to send their children to Marathi medium schools. Devanagari protagonists do not want to run Konknni medium schools! They run either Marathi or English medium primary schools!  Year by year the number of Konknni medium and Marathi medium schools are reducing.  Managements who run Konknni medium schools are not too serious about the Konknni medium.  If they get grants they will switch over to English medium.  In this education scenario, “Primary education in mother tongue” is a fallacy in Goa.  Irrespective of the medium of instruction people have excelled in Goa in their lives. Excelling in future life does not depend merely on medium of instruction. Many other factors play their roles. Taking into consideration the quality of Konknni textbooks, competence of teachers, teaching and evaluation methods, it is highly advisable not to admit the children to most of the Konknni medium primary schools. Moreover, it is advisable that students opt for any other language except Konknni in Devanagari script as a third language from fifth standard onwards. It is better not to learn a language rather than learning it wrongly. In Goa, in the twenty-first century there is no future for children except quality of English medium education from the primary school itself.   Hence parents and those who are concerned with the future of children and Goa should unite and defeat the forces of pseudo culturists and educationists who have double standard policies, one for themselves and one for the common people.