Is Inclusion Possible through English Medium Primary Education? The Case of Gauddas of Goa

Abstract

The Gauddas desire their inclusion in the process of development and nation building. Their aspirations to belong to the mainstream society motivate them to seek English medium primary education for their children. They strongly believe that English medium primary education will enable the next generation of the scheduled tribe of Gauddas to compete with the privileged sections of the Goan society on an equal footing. The paper describes the efforts at the educational empowerment of the tribal children in many states through increasing access to English medium primary education, conducted on a flexible or limited bilingual mode. The paper then makes a rather ground-breaking suggestion that schools which are exclusively located in a predominantly tribal area, and which offer a bilingual education policy (English with mother tongue) be considered eligible for grants-in-aid as these schools are primarily aimed at the empowerment of the marginalised.