Even as supporters of Indian languages for medium of instruction at the primary level battle it out with the government and English protagonists, another education revolution is taking place in the State and it would do well for the department and politicians to sit up and take notice. The number of Urdu medium schools are increasing and the surprising thing is that there are four
secondary schools imparting education in this medium while there are none in Konkani, the official language, or Marathi. It is obvious that the Urdu-speaking community (read: Muslims) are serious about education and if state secretary of the Board
of Islamic Education is to be believed, the plan is to create a
system of education which will enable members to complete
their SSC in Urdu. At a time when an education in English is
considered mainstream, this movement might seem like an
anachronism, but is it perhaps, a practical way forward?
In no other community in the State is the pedagogical theory
that education ought to be imparted
in the mother tongue taken more
seriously than in the Urdu-speaking
community. At present there are
nine primary schools with Urdu as
MoI and four middle schools where
education beyond the fourth standard
is imparted in the same language.
This year applications were
made for opening seven more primary schools. The rise in the
number of schools is attributed to an influx of Urdu-speakers
and the presence of a floating population which has migrated
from parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka. This is a new phenomenon
for Goa which has a minority Muslim population of
over one lakh and is fueled by the realisation that a good education
is a route to a better life.
But, it’s not all hunky dory. Members of the community are
now assured of an education up to SSC, but this qualification
is not a passport to a good job. The challenge before the community
is to create opportunities for higher education and integration
into the work force. And this is going to be a challenge
because a strength of one lakh is not critical enough to
create such facilities. The option is to go to Maharashtra which
has higher education in Urdu, but this means moving out of
the State and additional expenses. The neighbouring state has
a large number of Urdu primary, middle and high secondary
schools but not all are in good health. Lack of infrastructure
and poor quality of teachers have combined to produce more
dropouts than educated boys and girls.
In Goa at least, the only way out for the community is to
move to an English-based education after a certain stage, be it
the Vth standard or SSC. But for this to happen English needs
to be introduced and mastered by those students who which
to pursue higher studies. English also becomes essential for
those who wish to branch off to the technical side.
The number of students in Urdu schools is still miniscule
when compared to the total number in the State, but the rising
number of schools is an indication that there is a growing
interest in education among the lower classes and community
leaders and the government must put their heads together to
build a system that will eventually raise the standard of education
and put these students on an even keel with others.
