Multilingualism, education policy and inequality of educational opportunities: The Goan case

Abstract

Many parents in post-liberation Goa exhibit a pronounced preference for English medium early schooling for their children. The enrolment in the English medium schools, however, is much lower than in the Marathi and Konkani medium schools. This educational situation seems to be the outcome of such factors as mobility aspirations, identity politics, education policy, financial constraints and inacces sibility of English medium schools. This paper examines the language patterns at home and school in Goa and argues that the denial of grants-in-aid to the English medium early schools deprives the poor of the equality of educational opportunities.