SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
Marian Pinheiro
Primarily the colleges in Goa are affiliated to Goa University. Most of them are aided by the government of Goa and self-financing courses, and self-financing colleges are a phenomenon just 2-3 decades old in Goa.
These colleges are the primary windows of higher education for most of the Goan students, especially the middle class. Therefore maintaining and upgrading good quality of education in these institutions should be the primary concern for the government of Goa and Goans.
The quality of life and future scope of their employment are determined by the quality of education and the facilities that are provided for them for upgradation of their skill and knowledge.
NEP 2020 is policy specifically designed to develop skills and enhance employability of the students, besides aiming for an overall development of intellects, character and human values.
This calls for a dedicated approach to education at all levels of learning. It calls for upskilling teachers and creation of better facilities and learning environment which would provide much more options and opportunities for the learners. A policy which calls for drastic manpower development along with infrastructural developments.
The governments are no more expected to function as regulators, but, as facilitators for achievement of various educational aims.
All this is possible only if governments come forward willingly and invest much more in education. The NEP is a clarion call and a precondition for the governments to make much larger ‘budgetary provision with a minimum of 6% of the GDP from the existing 3% or less of the GDP.
There is no dispute that to begin the processes of modernisation of education as per NEP 2020 governments have to spend much more. No government has done so up till now despite all the hype and praises for NEP 2020. Nothing material would happen unless government redesign its role in education.
If the recent untoward incident, which happened in one of the leading colleges in North Goa is any indication, then the trends are bad and will be counter to any hope of quality education in Goa.
The issue as such was purely an institutional matter, which in the normal course would have been dealt by the institutional head and the faculty, if that doesn’t happen, there is the University which could find solutions.
But the interference of government officials, especially the Mamlatdar and the Collector, whose role would become relevant in a ‘law and order’ situation alone. In this case, if there was a law and order situation, it was created by the unauthorised entry of persons who are not students of the college entering not just the premises but forcibly entering the class rooms and even the science Laboratory for such outside interferences there are sufficient legal provision to act by government authorities including the Police. Be it under the Indian Penal Code or otherwise. But settling disputes in an educational Institution, that is disputes between students and students, students and teachers, students and the institution or even between teachers and teachers are a different ball game. Those who do not comprehend why an Institution conducts in a particular way, or why a student/s conducts themselves in a particular way should not attempt to settle such disputes.
But the Collector deciding an institutional matter, with prompt publication of the same in the media, though externally seems to have settled the matter. For an academician’s view, the answer is a capital NO.
why?, there are two untoward consequence created by the Collector’s action.
One, reputation of a premier educational Institution in Goa, stands tarnished, thus indirectly affecting the reputation of every student, studying in the institution, and causing much heartburn and sense of anger among its past pupils, who cherish the memory and reputation of their Alma mater.
Secondly and more importantly, it would greatly affect the psychology of the student concerned. Though he might relish his temporary success, but for his future studies and all his academic activities he has to continue to deal with the Institutional authorities as well as the faculty. He would develop unknowingly an antagonistic attitude and he would unknowingly shut his mind to class room learning and activities, there will be lot of subtle mistrust not only with the faculty but his immediate classmates and colleagues, the majority of them are only interested in their education and hope of a good future employment. Goa being such a small state the news gets known all over, which would affect his employment prospects, nobody wants a trouble maker in their employment, and if he choses to enter politics, politics is not an option for a budding youth, where treachery, and back biting are the order of the day, despite all their outward posturing they lack peace of mind and real sense of happiness, which often comes from individual accomplishments. There are no winners in politics, that is why politics should remain merely a temporary detour from one’s career options and never a permanent one.
The problem is neither the bureaucrats nor the politicians are equipped to handle matters of education or educational institutions. They neither have the qualification nor the experience or the expertise.
A casual perusal of the National Education Policy 2020 , would make it amply clear, what is the thrust of NEP. In simple terms NEP focuses on enhancing the quality of education, by not just only improving the knowledge content, the learning methodologies but in inculcating skills to the learners to improve their employability. Towards this end, NEP makes it amply clear that teachers are central to quality education. In addition to improving the quality of the teachers, there has to be suitable building up of respect, status and better financial benefits to teachers in order to enable the teachers to innovate, create and experiment. The policy document recommends minimisation of Government control of educational institutions. The Government is expected to act as a facilitator by providing facilities like required infrastructures, appointment of more teachers and in-service training to those already in service. These are the areas government has to focus.
But in Goa, look at the regulations and instructions that are being issued to educational institutions in the pretext of implementing NEP 2020.
Let us remember NEP is not a magic remedy, if at all it has to be implemented in true letter and spirit, it calls for an encouraging and enabling approach by government and its agencies. Government should facilitate and not regulate education or those deeply involved in the business of education.
(The writer is a Professor of law with 40+ years of teaching and a former Principal)
