Should the government extend grants to English medium primary schools? It’s a question it can ignore at its own peril. DEREK ALMEIDA explores possible solutions to this vexed issue.
On Friday, it was interesting to witness Opposition Leader Manohar Parrikar struggle to re-define the term ‘mother tongue’ in the context of medium of instruction in primary schools. In the end, from what he said, it's apparent that Parrikar was caught between ‘mother tongue’ and 'regional language'.
While there is a plethora of studies conducted the world over to convincingly prove that the child learns best in the ‘mother tongue’, there isn’t an iota of evidence to support primary education in the 'regional language'. Hence, one can understand why Parrikar was attempting to broaden the definition of ‘mother tongue’ to include Marathi. His attempt fell flat when Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco virtually threw the education rules at him where 'mother tongue' is defined as the language which the parents declare at the time of their ward's admission.
If this does not satisfy Parrikar, then he should refer to a bill moved by his party's senior leader, Sushma Swaraj in the Rajya Sabha in 2006, to make the 'mother tongue' the medium of instruction at the primary level.
Swaraj’s bill defines mother tongue thus: “Mother tongue means the language generally spoken in the family of the child who learns it from his mother and other family members and which is one of the languages mentioned in the Eight Schedule of the Constitution.”
Section 3 (l) of Swaraj's bill states, “…every educational institution including those established by minorities, religious or linguistic ones, shall impart basic primary education to the children in their mother tongue or dialect …….”
White,
shining lie
Goa has been living a lie for the last nearly two decades. While advocating use of mother tongue, it has actually been supporting education at the primary level in the regional language and not ‘mother tongue’. As a result, the demand for English primary schools is rising and the resolutions by Reginaldo Lourenco and Calangute MLA Agnel Fernandes are symptomatic of the need for a re-think of the state's policy on primary education.
Let us just look at the figures. In 2006, there were 298 primary schools with less than 20 students. Out of this, 266 had Marathi as medium of instruction and 29 had Devnagiri Konkani.
Sample this: In 2006, there were 66 primary schools with English as medium of instruction. That figure has swelled to roughly 120 schools in 2009, sources in the Education department revealed.
For the academic year 2005-06 eleven primary schools were granted permission. Of these, three had Marathi as medium of instruction while eight had English.
In the academic year 2006-07 about 60 applications were received for starting primary schools. Of these, 43 were for starting schools with English as a medium of instruction, eight in favour of Marathi and five in Konkani. Only nine were granted permission to start primary schools --- seven in English and one each in Marathi and Konkani.
Review policy
The writing is on the wall. While the government continues to pursue a policy of primary education in the regional language, the demands for English education keep rising. Clearly, the time has come for reviewing the nearly two-decades old policy.
“Switching back to English might not be the answer,” said a senior official of the Diocesan Society of Education (DSE) which runs nearly 70 schools where Devnagri Konkani is the medium of instruction.
“This is not a decision for politicians to make,” the official said, adding: “it must be discussed and debated by educationists.”
The dilemma faced by the DSE and the Archdiocesean Board of Education (ABE) which oversees 150 schools in the state is that of losing students to English medium schools. With its back against the wall, the ABE decided to open two English primary schools affiliated to the Central Board.
Flash back
For the ABE and the DSE, the journey has been a long one. Nearly two decades ago, when the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) government virtually forced the Church to change the medium of instruction by threatening to withdraw grants for teachers salaries, it sparked off a debate.
Those present for those meetings and who spoke to GT on condition of anonymity said, the then Archbishop Raul Gonsalves took an idealistic stand and insisted that the Church should first take a decision on what is good for the child.
Accordingly, seven to eight meetings were held, which were attended by experts in education from within and outside the state. Then, there were two strains of thought - to begin the child with a new language and not to alienate children from their cultural roots. The final conclusion was that primary education should be imparted in the ‘mother tongue’.
“This decision was taken purely on pedagogical considerations,” said a senior professor who was part of the decision making process.
However, there are some who believe that with the sword of grants hanging over its head the Church had little room for manoeuvre.
The senior professor also added that there were a lot of situations that were not envisaged two decades ago, like this whole revolution of technology, information technology, etc.
“The policy needs to be reviewed,” he now feels.
Change within
Sources within the church told GT that the process of reviewing the earlier stand got underway while Rev Gonsalves was still the Archbishop. All he insisted on is if a review has to be done, then one would have to go through the entire process instead of suggesting piece-meal suggestions.
Today, questions are being raised about the definition of ‘mother tongue’. “What is the mother tongue?” said an official of the ABE. “Is it Romi Konkani, Devnagiri Konkani, English, Marathi……?”
In a bid to resolve this issue, the ABE sent out a circular to institutional heads to consult parents on the issue of medium of instruction and whether they were willing to support teachers’ salaries by way of higher fees.
There was an overwhelming support for a switch over to English at the primary level. However, when it came to paying higher fees, parents were reluctant and the exercise fizzled out.
System going bad?
But the overall impression one gets is that the Church, a big stake holder, is one hundred per-cent seized with the issue of education. One church official was bitter that the government tends to ignore the DSE and ABE even when these two organizations control the most number of schools after the government. “We are important stake holders, but we are not consulted,” he lamented.
Another sour point is the promises made to DSE that English medium schools would not be allowed. This promise was breached by all governments that came and went in the last 15 years. The official now pinned his hope on the announcement made by present Education Minister Atanasio Monserrate for a moratorium on new schools. “This needs to be done,” he said.
The importance of English in the job market was not entirely lost on the Education Department. In 2005, the government constituted a committee which suggested that English be introduced in the first standard from the academic year 2006-07. It is too early to gauge the effect of this policy decision.
Some solutions
In terms of solutions, although the demand for education in English is an aspiration for parents, it flies in the face of all pedagogical studies unless English is the mother tongue. Where there appears to be some agreement is that the time is ripe for a review and a debate on how to combine aspirations and good pedagogical practice to formulate a policy for the future.
“We ignore Indian languages at our own peril,” said Commissioner of NRI affairs and former Union Minister Eduardo Faleiro while discussing the subject with GT.
While agreeing that those who study in English have a distinct advantage and money has a role to play, Faleiro said, “We have to find a way of giving equal opportunity to all.”
Other than suggesting the concept of neighbourhood schools, even Faleiro was hard pressed for a solution, but agreed that the issue should be discussed threadbare by educationists. He called for a balance between cultural roots and means to a livelihood.
Std V switchover
Another suggestion that came up during the discussion was the switch over to English at the fifth standard which becomes difficult for students from the vernacular medium.
An interesting suggestion made by the DSE that Math be taught with English numerals so that the switch over at the fifth is smoothened was ignored by the government.
The DSE had also suggested that the syllabus in the fourth standard be reduced and replaced with a bridge course for at least six months so that students are prepared for the switchover in the fifth standard, when English becomes the medium of instruction. This too was ignored by the government.
“Nobody listened to us,” the DSE official said.
For the present, the Digambar Kamat government might be content to sweep the issue under the carpet. But if the government does not intervene to debate and discuss the issue, then market forces will step in and change the system, for better or worse.
