Let me add a few points of my own to this whole Konkani (& Marathi) vs English MOI debate.
1. This appears to be a case of Culture vs. Freedom. Which one must get the preference? In my opinion, Freedom and Independent thought are more important. Therefore, I support the right of the parents to educate their children in the language of their choice. What the UNESCO says may not be applicable in a Country where there are more than a 100 languages with thousands of dialects. 2. The Konkani which is being taught in schools for the last 20 years is an alien dialect for many Catholics. It is not their mother tongue. Learning this was virtually an ordeal for most Catholic children, creating confusion in their minds, both at home and in school. Yet, the community was gracious enough to accept this very sportingly. Their opposition, hence, is justified. The Devnagiri Konkani protagonists need to understand their grievances, which are genuine. 3. When I was in school, there was an option for a third foreign language. My brother chose French- was good at it- and got a scholarship to visit France. Today, he speaks French fluently. I too chose French, and scored well in my SSC. Now, it appears that students do not have this option to choose a third language, since Konkani (or Marathi) has been made compulsory till standard X. I find this stance of the Government highly objectionable, since it denies those who wish to learn a foreign language their legitimate right to do so. 4. The claims that those who are opting for English as their language for Primary Education are getting denationalized are baseless. Such statements are creating divisions in the hitherto cordial relations being enjoyed by the two major Goan communities and needs to be severely condemned by one and all. In conclusion, let me simply state that Culture can be promoted in a variety of ways and not just by insisting the primary language be in the mother tongue. Since growth of a language is important to preserve the culture of the land, both the warring groups need to sit together and work out an amicable solution to ensure that the Konkani language flowers and prospers. This constant fighting will lead us nowhere. Let better sense prevail. Cheers, Sandeep
