Goa’s Chief Minister recently sparked a debate when he placed the blame for the dwindling number of students in Konkani and Marathi primary schools squarely on the shoulders of parents. According to him, it is the parents who are choosing English-medium education over Marathi. But this statement, though not entirely untrue, misses a larger and more critical point: Where does the responsibility of the government lie in preserving and promoting regional languages like Marathi and Konkani in the primary education system?
Let us not forget that education is not merely a personal choice—it is also a reflection of trust. When parents opt for English-medium schools, it’s not because they do not respect Marathi or Konkani. It is because they see English as a language of opportunity, employment, and empowerment. And who can blame them? In a rapidly globalising world, proficiency in English is often seen as a basic requirement for upward mobility. Ironically, even those who speak loudly about preserving Marathi and Konkani often send their own children to English-medium institutions. That hypocrisy is neither lost on the public nor is it helping the cause.
The CM’s remarks also conveniently ignore deeper systemic issues plaguing Marathi primary schools in Goa—issues the state government is directly responsible for. What about the poor infrastructure, the lack of innovation in teaching methods, and the chronic shortage of well-trained teachers? How do you expect parents to enroll their children in government-run Marathi schools when they can see with their own eyes that the facilities are inferior to those in private English-medium institutions?
This is not a problem of preference alone—it is a problem of perception, and more importantly, performance. If the government truly believes in promoting regional languages, then it must begin with a serious overhaul of the Marathi and Konkani school systems. Language pride cannot be sustained with sentiment alone. It needs structure, strategy, and sustained support.
Another crucial issue is the unchecked mushrooming of private primary schools. Year after year, permissions are granted to private institutions, most of which charge hefty fees. These schools are, more often than not, English-medium and offer better facilities. Naturally, aspirational parents, even from modest backgrounds, are willing to stretch their budgets just to give their children a better shot at life. The question we must ask is: Why is the government enabling this shift rather than strengthening its own schools?
Moreover, the state support for Marathi and Konkani is often symbolic, confined to cultural festivals and lip service. Real support would mean investing in quality Marathi and Konkani textbooks, training teachers to make the classroom experience more engaging, and integrating technology and creativity into regional language education. It would also mean running sustained awareness campaigns to change the perception that English is the only route to success. But none of this is happening at the scale or speed that the situation demands.
It’s not just about language—it’s about quality. Parents are not linguists or political ideologues. They are realists. They want their children to be equipped for the future. If a Konkani or Marathi school can deliver the same or better quality of education as an English-medium one, parents will not hesitate to choose it. But until that happens, blaming them for choosing the “better” option is disingenuous at best, and dangerous at worst.
The government cannot afford to wash its hands of this crisis. It cannot promote regional languages only in rhetoric while systematically neglecting the institutions that are meant to teach them. The future of Marathi and Konkani in Goa’s education system will depend not on emotional appeals but on real reforms—academic, infrastructural, and administrative.
Let us not create a divide where language becomes a marker of privilege vs poverty. Goa needs an education policy that is inclusive, aspirational, and rooted in quality—one that makes a Marathi or Konkani school not a fallback option, but a first choice.
Until then, the responsibility lies not with the parents, but squarely with the government.
