Authors: Priya Dion Colaco
Abstract: Historically, Marathi-medium education has served as a significant cultural institution in Maharashtra, and has spread linguistic competency, regional literary cultures, regional histories, and common civic imaginations that form collectively to constitute such a thing as cultural identity. But a move toward the use of English as the medium of schooling (and a semi-English language) has been sped up by urbanization, aspirational migration, and the increased marketability of English, leading to a clash of economic and cultural preservation. The paper is a synthesis of the current research on language ideologies, medium-of-instructions and multilingual education, and a mixed-method research design to determine the role of the Marathi education in shaping cultural identities. Representing the analysis and visualization with the help of an illustrative (simulated) pilot dataset, the paper demonstrates how the outcomes related to identity may be operationalized in terms of measurable indicators: belonging, participation in local cultural activities, literacy in Marathi, and consumption of Marathi literature and local culture. The research claims that the best way to maintain cultural identity through Marathi education is to have (a) firm Marathi literacy and cultural education, and (b) bilingual or high quality access pathways which can maintain Marathi and provide the bilingual pathway into English. The discussion of policies concerning three-language formula and state guidelines regarding Marathi in schools means that the political and educational significance of Marathi in keeping cultural communities is still significant. Research questions: How do the Marathi-based schools maintain cultural identity, the medium of instruction and multilingualism, and the Maharashtra region and its language ideology, and the mother-tongue education?.
