Panaji: In 2016-17, there were 2,849 students enrolled from Class I to IV in Konkani medium schools . In comparison, 15,000 students were studying in Marathi medium primary schools. In case of English medium primary school, the number of students enrolled was 27,230, as per official data of the directorate of education Though Marathi schools seem to have a far higher share of students, in the coming years, the scale is set to tip further in favour of English medium schools and the casualty will be mainly Marathi medium primary schools.Goa has almost 380 government-run primary schools with an enrolment of 20 or low. A vast majority of these schools on the verge of closure are Marathi ones, only around 10 are Konkani medium schools, three Urdu medium and one Telugu language institution.This means the number of Marathi schools will see a steep decline within the next couple of years.The issue of declining enrolment in regional language schools is no more a simple issue of choice of language. Parents in Goa, who were favouring private aided schools, are fast shifting their preference towards unaided schools, which causes an obvious shift towards English medium schools.From swimming classes to innovative learning methods, and affiliation to national and international boards or a mix of syllabus of multiple boards, parents feel these schools offer better exposure and scope for the child than the conventional schools.Regional language schools, mainly run as per the conventional government systems, pale in comparison, from the parents' perspective.More than 15% of all children studying from Class I to VIII in Goa are enrolled today in private unaided schools, which has been eating into the student share of the 80% enrolment in aided schools in Goa. The share of government-run schools has dwindled to just 19%."Parents are in no mood to listen about the importance of teaching Konkani to their children. Their reasons are purely practical. Parents feel that finally they have to turn to English for higher education. They say they don't want their children to blame them tomorrow about putting them at a disadvantage," says Tanaji Halarnkar one of the most diligent researchers Konkani language has seen, having dedicated 12 years of his life to editing four volumes of the Konkani encyclopedia.Those in the education sector say that Marathi schools came this far only because they had a headstart over Konkani schools, which came in much later on the scene for various historical reasons. "But Marathi schools are headed for a decline from here on like Konkani ones. Why should parents opt for Konkani schools, when the government policy itself is not insisting on Konkani medium primary education? If parents are still opting for Marathi, it is because they feel it has at least more scope than Konkani," said a teacher from Canacona.Now not only do parents have an option of 127 government aided English medium primary schools, but government aided schools are provided Balrath buses for transportation of students, a facility intriguingly not offered to students of government institutions.The government medium of instruction policy also included a levy to new regional language schools, wherein the criteria of distance from neighbouring schools will not be considered when granting permission to a Konkani or Marathi school sought to be opened by a private educational body. This, academics feel, have only eaten into enrolment of government primary schools.

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