Well, I do know that Marathi primary schools existed even before the Portuguese regime and some were also started by the Portuguese during their regime but weren’t they started with the sole intention of dividing Goans on religious lines and to finish Goa’s mother tongue Konkani/Goenkarponn for good?
Well, the one important question I want to pose for people like KB Desai (who seem to be very much allergic towards English) is that is Marathi the mother tongue of Goans? If yes, then why is it still not spoken in public or at homes in Goa? Why is only Konkani spoken by all the major communities living here in Goa even to this day? And how can KB Dessai say that English is not closer to Goa than Marathi when most open-minded modern parents today are seen paying thousands of rupees to give good English primary education for their children and when the same language is practically also spoken even in most Goan homes, especially Catholic houses?
Well, I personally have nothing against those educating their children in Marathi medium primary schools but my only argument is that why should only one group have the birth right to reject Goa’s mother tongue Konkani and to choose unspoken Marathi as the MoI of their children entirely based on religion? Why can’t the English-supporting parents also do the same? Why these open discrimination even on matters of primary education in Goa?
And yes, I also want to ask all the hypocrites who are still fighting to deprive the right of all English-supporting parents misusing the word ‘mother tongue’ another important question and that is if their ongoing fight is really for the love of mother tongue (as being claimed by them to misguide Goans over this same issue of MoI) then why are they themselves not sending their own children in Konkani but in Marathi medium primary schools in Goa till date? Why are they officially supporting not just one but two separate languages (i.e. spoken Konkani and unspoken Marathi) based on religion to keep dividing Goans on religious lines in Goa? Isn’t Konkani their mother tongue and aren’t they Goans?
