Gauree.Malkarnekar@timesofindia.comPanaji: Over the past decade, at least 300 govt primary schools have had to close in Goa, with parents increasingly showing a preference for nearby privately-managed aided schools. As it is was largely govt schools offering education in the mother tongue, now with the closures, only 8.8% of all primary school enrolment in Goa is studying is the Konkani medium.Surprisingly, the rural talukas of Sanguem and Pernem do not have a single Konkani medium school operating there at present, according to data released by the directorate of education’s annual statistical publication for 2025-26.Of the 88,800 students studying from Class I to IV in Goa, only 7,869 are studying in the state’s official language, Konkani, knowledge of which is mandatory for govt jobs in the state.At present, more than half of the primary school enrolment in Goa, 49,630 or 55.8%, study in the English medium. Another 33.1%, or 29,404, study with Marathi as the medium of instruction.The remaining 4% students are enrolled in Urdu (1,074), Kannada (435), Hindi (379), and Telugu (9) schools. There is only one Telugu medium school in Goa, operating in Tiswadi. Schools in Malayalam medium, which once existed in the state, have long shut down.The data shows that govt is running Konkani medium schools only in four talukas—Salcete, with enrolment of 545 in state schools, Tiswadi, with 90 students, Mormugao, with 78 students, and Dharbandora, with 12 students.The highest number of children studying in Konkani medium across govt, aided, and unaided schools are in Salcete (2,593), followed by Tiswadi (1,315), and Bardez (839).Unlike earlier, when Konkani schools were largely being run by govt, it is now largely the privately-managed aided and unaided schools that are keeping Konkani education going.These are the schools which were established after 2012 after chief minister Manohar Parrikar relaxed norms to organisations to encourage them to set up more Konkani and Marathi medium primary schools.Until 2012, state govt strictly maintained its policy of supporting primary school education in the mother tongue—largely in Konkani and Marathi, but also other Indian languages, to cater to migrant children.However, citing a loophole in a directorate of education circular on medium of instruction in 2012, around 20 aided schools converted their medium to English. Following protests, state govt decided to continue aid to these schools. Largely Konkani medium schools shifted to English. After this, the relaxation was offered to private organisations to set up Konkani and Marathi schools.
