PANAJI
As per the new statistics obtained from the Directorate of Education (DoE) for the year 2017-18 have revealed that out of the 97,044 students enrolled at primary level (Std I-IV), 56,599 (58.32%) are studying in English medium, while 40,445 (41.68%) are studying in regional languages.
As far as students who have opted for regional languages at primary level are concerned, 31,614 (32.58%) students are studying in Marathi and 6,555 (6.75%) are studying in Konkani, which is the official language of the State.
However, 1,287 students are studying in Urdu medium, 780 students in Kannada medium, 201 in Hindi medium and 8 students in Telugu medium, which comprises of nearly 2 per cent of the total number of students enrolled.
Of the 97,044 students enrolled, 21,192 (21.84%) students are studying in government-run primary schools, 50,679 (52.22%) students in government-aided schools and 25.173 (25.94%) students are studying in unaided schools. However, there are no schools run by the State Government in English medium.
Speaking to The Goan Everyday, an educationist said, "Though it is a universally accepted fact that a child is able to understand better and faster in the mother tongue at primary level being the first language that the child learns, parents seem to prefer English as the MoI. Parents also feel that children can cope up better at higher level (from standard V onwards) if they study in English at primary level because education from standard V onwards in Goa is in English medium."
Another educationist, however, suggested having a system in place for children in their transition phase from primary education in regional language to Standard V in English medium.
"In many cases,
it becomes difficult for a child studying in regional language at primary level to shift to English medium in Standard V as all subjects are in English. If a system is put in place to address this issue, parents would definitely prefer to opt for a regional language as Medium of instructions (MOI) for their children", said the educationist.
