Mushtifund

Mushtifund Saunstha
Location
Panaji, Goa India
Information
Type	School
Established	1908
Website	www.mushtifundsaunstha.org

Mushtifund Saunstha (Konkani: मुष्टिफंड), or simply The Saunstha, is a not-for-profit educational institution founded in 1908 in Goa, India by locals aspiring to spread elementary education in the native Konkani/Marathi language as opposed to that in the Portuguese language in use then as a primary language of instruction as a direct consequence of the Portuguese rule in Goa. The Saunstha has a student community of over 2,500. It runs three elementary schools, one high school, one junior college, and one technical school.

The Saunstha operates from its main building in the heart of the Panaji city on Dr Dada Vaidya Road. The Mushtifund Middle School operates from the Fontainhas (quarter) campus.

The word "Mushtifund" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Mushti" for "fist" and the English word "fund" for "funds".

The history of the institution dates back more than a hundred years. In 1908, a handful of locals gathered to found an educational society to propagate knowledge and elementary education using Marathi as a medium of instruction. This resulted in what we know today as the Mushtifund Saunstha.

Funding was not easy to find for such a society so a handful of rice instead of cash was collected from Goan households, and sold it in the markets in exchange for cash to run the Saunstha. This explains the name "Mushtifund", which means, funds collected in handfuls.

During the 1970s only 4 classes were taught. As of 2016, the institution provides education for students from Kindergarten all the way to 12th grade (Mushtifund Higher Secondary).

Mushtifund Primary offers schooling from kindergarten to 4th grade. There are two subdivisions for the primary section, one with the medium of instruction as Marathi, the other to be English. This offers children brought up in a traditional environment to build up their level without lagging behind due to language concerns.

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