ENGLISH FAVOURED BY VALPOI PEOPLE By Abdulla Khan, Valpoi

VALPOI: The survey of parents, conducted in Satari taluka on the issue of medium of instruction at the primary level, found that parents from the interior villages of Satari prefer Marathi; however, many parents stated that due to the absence of English-medium primary schools in the coastal villages, most of the parents have no choice but to enroll their children in the government primary schools, which has Marathi as medium of instruction.

In Valpoi town area, a majority of parents whose children are studying in anganwadi or nursery say that they would opt for English as medium of instruction at primary level. Out of 24 parents interviewed on the MoI issue, 17 favoured English as medium of instruction while seven said that they would opt for Marathi as medium of instruction for their wards. Incidentally, all Muslim parents interviewed favoured English as the medium of instruction.

Mr Dhulo Kharwat, a government employee, said that his daughter is studying in nursery and he will admit her in an English-medium primary school. “English is the need of the hour and if my daughter gets primary education in English medium, then she will easily cope with the high school syllabus,” he said.

Ms Neeta Andrade, a housewife, said that she would enroll her daughter in an English-medium school. “It’s my dream that my children should learn English and be fluent in the language,” she said.

Mr Dashrath Mandrekar, a journalist, said that he supports Marathi as medium of instruction, and added that his son would be enrolled in a primary school where medium of instruction is Marathi. He said that if a child learns initially in his mother tongue then he will understand the subject. He said that although he studied in Marathi medium, he can now speak and write in English.

Ms Arifa Shaikh, housewife, a mother of two children one of whom is undergoing pre-primary education, said that she would opt for English language during his primary education. She said, “Medium of instruction for my child will be English as I have noted that for any official correspondence English is a must.” She also said that her children would do well in high school if they have their foundation in English.

Mr Ramdas Shirodker, a councillor informed that his five-year-old son is studying in UKG and he would enroll him in a Marathi-medium school in primary. “By initially taking education in his mother tongue, the child understands well and he or she values our culture and tradition which is very important today,” said Mr Shirodker.