From: goanet-boun...@lists.goanet.org On Behalf Of Sebastian Borges _______________________________ "J. Colaco < jc>" <cola...@gmail.com> wrote:
<<In closing, a question for those who might know the answer: What is the mother tongue of Goans? This question has been ducked by the 'paper nationalists' who are surely smart enough to recognise that there is a follow up question i.e. IF Konkani is the mother tongue of Goans, WHY are Marathi schools supported and not English schools?>> Dear JC, You seem to have read my mind. Just yesterday, I have sent to Sunaparant an article on this very topic. The UNESCO recommendation is being bandied in support of the denial of grants to English medium primaries. My suggestion is to implement this recommendation in toto. Konkani is the mothertongue of the children of Goans and the language of the region or environment for those children whose mothertongue Konkani is not. Therefore only Konkani schools should qualify for grants; I understand that this is the custom that prevails in the rest of India. **Dear Sebastian, I do agree with you totally that Konkani is the mother-tongue of the children of Goans and that only Konkani medium schools are qualified for grants. There are not two mother-tongues. Let the Government study the problem with better care. Problems of text books and teachers should be solved. Parents are free to send their children to the schools of their choice. Regards. Fr.Ivo
