Relocation in Goa and Schools...

My partner and I are seriously thinking of relocating in Goa... but are obviously concerned about schooling our 5 year old daughter... I am a qualified Montessori teacher and he used to be a college lecturer, so we could home school, but I would prefer her to go to a school so she could meet other kids and learn with them. We have just spent 7 months in India (it being my partners 6th visit to the place, and not just Goa!) and have arranged to spend December there to visit schools, lawyers etc so we can be really sure this is right for all of us... I guess I was wanting to hear from any other ex-pats out there who have kids, to hear how they get on with the school system and the possibilities of their (the kids) wanting to return to western higher education at a later stage and how possible this is and how to go about it...I guess being a Brit UCAS is a call I will make to ask them how she could be referred, but it would be reassuring to hear from those who have or are doing it! And whether they there are International schools in and around Goa or whether the local schools will enable her to have the choices she could have here. I am so ready to move on, but I do have to think of my daughter also...I am prepared to do additional work with her, if necessary to keep her to international standards... But when you look at all the doctors in the UK... the majority are of Indian origin, so surely we should have no problems???

Anyway... any help and advice would be much appreciated...!

Sharda Mandir High School in the capital city of Panjim is the best private school in Goa but it is by no means an international school. Goa does not have top notch international schools like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Any half way decent school in india will prepare your child to meet "international standards" in math and science.

Hey tufty - did you ever relocate to Goa in the end and if so, when? I am looking to move to Goa from Madrid next year - my children are vey young 2.5 yrs old, and twins ust 2 months old, but education is a top priority for all parents. I was wondering if you ever found anything interesting...

Hi Jogesh and welcome to IM! Are you of Indian origin?

hi there - as a matter of fact i am of indian origin..though i have never lived in india ever - just vacationed there!

Now i'm looking to move there for a long-term period...so i need advice on all fronts from anyone who can help...

education, properties, mortgage possibilities, areas to live in, etc..

all input is welcome!!

thanks!!

OK. It all depends on how much you are going to be spending and what type of lifestyle you are seeking.

Property

The price of land in Goa is the highest along the coast and decreases as you go inland.

Generally speaking, North Goa is more expensive as compared to South Goa.

Considering the fact that you have small children the only options for you are to live near Panjim or Margao. This is because all the good schools, hospitals, shops etc are located in and around these two cities.

A brand new two bedroom apartnet in a good locality in Panjim will cost you about $100,000 approx. In Margao the same type of apartment will cost about $60,000 approx.

You can check this website to get an idea http://www.axiomestates.com/goa-property.htm

I would advise you to go for a new apartment due to the fact that Goa get very heavy rains during the monsoon season and leakages/seepages are a common problem in older apartments. You don't want your children to be exposed to fungus and mould.

Between the two cities, I would go for Panjim. It is cleaner and less congested as compared to Margao. If you choose Margao then I would advise you to stay in Benaulim or Colva which are on the coast but only 5km away from the city.

Schools

The best schools in Goa are Sharada Mandir which is in Panjim and Manovikas which is in Margao.

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Hey Jogesh... Yes we did! We have been here for just over a year now. It is fantastic, although can be harrowing at times due to bureaucracy! We are situated just between Colva and Margao and our daughter is at a wonderful school called Manovikas. It is like the 'sister school' to Sharada Mandir. It is an English Medium School and follows the Delhi board, rather than the Goa board, and they take ICSE's. They seem to achieve very high results. The school will take them from rising two through to 17. She is very happy there and has made many friends. The teachers are tough when they have to be, but so loving too. We are so happy with our choice, and Panjim is only an hour away for good shopping!We also have a very good hospital in Margao, which we also use as our doctor as it means that whenever we go, we are able to see a specialist straight away for whatever ailment we have. It is very clean and the staff seem very efficient and friendly.
We feel that it is a great spot, as we are half way between north and south, and also near to the airport. If you end up coming or want more info, pm me with your email address and I can let you know more.
Take care and good luck!

Thread: Relocation in Goa and Schools... Reply to Thread

Hey there! Thanks for all the info - very helpful really. I still have some time to got before I look out for a property (few months) but I did want to get my research started. I have looked into living near Panjim as my first choice of location. As a matter of fact there are some great new villas being constructed just a few minutes away but highly pricey - somewhere arount the 2.5CR range which is way too excessive for my budget.

I have also found another nice villa development in Assagao - where is that, and how is that? Would you recommend me to stay there, and hw far is it from Panjim? By the way, my place of work would be PISSURLEM (a little hike away I know) which is why i am looking into the North rather than the South.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Jogesh

Hi tufty -
thanks for the info and I am so happy to hear of your success in finding a good school and hospital etc. Take a small weight off my shoulders..!

I will defnitely look into that school on my next visit in December. By the way, they are building a brand new intl school in Goa (no idea where) which is supposed to be a state of the art institution. I am enclosing a small link where you can see what they have planned. I guess it will take another 3/4 years at least!

http://fieldingnair.com/2004/Project...p?fb=goaint_fb

Hi Johesh,

I live in Goa too. Where is Pissurlem? And out of curiousity what are you going to do here?

With regards to the international school, keep in mind that sometimes they call something 'international' but it is not really all that international.

Anyway there is more information on schools in Goa on this thread: http://www.indiamike.com/india/movin...ht=schools+goa

hi birds,


Actualy currently live in Spain, but will be relocating to GOA some time next year. Pissurlem is in NORTHEAST of Goa, near HONDA. i am in the process of closing a JV agreement with a SPANISH company, FIESTA SA to set up a large, state-of-the-art candy factory. The factory is being set up to ship out the majority of the goods to Spain and other countries, as well as of course to set up a distribution network within India for the same products.

Although i am a strong shareholder in the joint venture, one of the key elements of the contract is that I myself must relocate to GOA to run the factory and distribution - hence my move to India.

Wat are you dedictaed to in Goa?

If your place of work is going to be Honda then you will have to stay in Ponda. Panjim and Margao are too far. Plus the roads in the area where your factory is going to be built are awful because that is a mining area.

hey GoanCanuck

thanks for the input...I am aware there is some distance between Panjim, Margao and Pissurlem, but I always base a residence near the best schooling choices - for the office i am willing to commute that one hour to work and back each day... Other reasons for living in Panjim/Margao, is the proximity to shopping centres, hospitals, and social ambience in these areas.

trust me, these are essential for me - it was not easy to convince my wife for the move, so the above bare essentials are totally necessary...

Out of curiosity, how is Ponda as a place to live in?? And how far as ASSAGAO from Honda..direct and good roads between these latter two towns?

Regards
Jogesh

Ponda is a dump. Period.

From Assagao to Honda the roads are very narrow and should take you about 1.5 hour to go and another 1.5 hour to come back. The distance is about 50km from Assagao to Honda. The roads leading to Honda are not highways but village roads with potholes.

If you look at the Goa map, Assagao is just to the west of Mapusa and Honda which is spelt Onda on the map is to the south-east of Sanquelim. Pissurlem is right next to Honda(Onda).
http://www.johnthemap.co.uk/pages/goa/goamap.html