PANJIM: Goa government is not in favour of starting full day schools from the current academic year although the education department has claimed that there is infrastructure in place to run schools for full day. State Education Minister Atanasio Monserratte told agency today that the concept of full day schools which are mandatory under Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 has been kept on hold by the state government.
He said Goa will adopt whatever is possible from the RTE Act, while rest would be implemented in phases later. From RTE Act, the state has already implemented no detention policy, which bars failing of students from first to eighth standard.
The education department has also issued circular giving guidelines for Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE). The officials, however, said that CCE cannot be implemented without a full day school concept. "We have infrastructure in place in almost 80 per cent of the schools, where full day school can be started immediately," Anil Powar, assistant director, Education department, said.
He said that while a normal student requires teaching of five hours, those who are weak in learning will have to be taught for seven-and-half hours daily by holding remedial teaching classes.
Monserratte said the state government is not clear about many liabilities under RTE like additional grants to be paid to the schools after English is made Medium of Instruction (MOI).
Although the rough estimates are that state will have to cough up annually Rs 20 crore additional financial liability, the minister said that they are yet to work out actual financial burden. "There will be no liability as far as aided schools are concerned. The issue is only with unaided schools," he said.
The education department record indicates that there are 834 Marathi Government primary schools, 46 Marathi aided primary schools, 33 Konkani medium aided primary schools of Archidiocese Board of Education (wing of Goa Church) and two Urdu Government Primary schools. - TNN
2 comments:
About 6 years back this proposal was mooted and a team of animators were sent to schools to trumpet the same. When asked for what that extra time will be utilised, thereplied that it would be for co-curricular and extra curricular activities. They further said that those school which comply in the first year would get a huge one time grant, those which follow the next year would get a lesser grant and those which won't shall be closed down. To this asked when a reputed School like Loyola's will be closed down. All loyola's have is a basketball court . their playground is abou 1/2 kilomere away on the other side of the railway tracks. They did not not have a reply.
Now,
(1) wouldn't any parent want their child to have their lunch with the family?
(2) Wouldn't parents want their children to eat home made delicious food rather than eating powa and upit.
(3) Wouldn't parents want their children to play on the village playground ? In Goa they are plenty of playgrounds.
(4) Full day school is understandable in metros. Families stay on the sixth floor and children play cricket of the 10th floor.
(5) Does the schools have the infrastructure to hold the activities meant for during this extended time?
(6) Is this a ploy to make money on mid-day meals?
I wrote my comments yesterday and today read the news of lizard in the mid day meals. See what i mean?
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