But until there is some real action towards attaining this, the promise remains merely a statement. Past experience of how the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the National Institute of Technology (NIT) were made to wait years before land could be acquired by the government and handed over to the institutes, are examples that do not bolster hopes that the education hub will see the light of day anytime soon. But, if seriously considered, this is one area that Goa should look at for the future.
The suggestions that Goa is uniquely placed to turn into an educational hub are not new. Current Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has voiced out loud this vision for the State, and before him others too have done the same. What has not happened is action taken in making this a reality. Today, Goa has a number of engineering colleges some of them quite reputed, a medical college, a pharmacy college, a renowned management institute, some hotel management institutes and scattered other professional colleges. As a result of the lack of quality educational institutes, a large number of the Goan youth travel outside the State for higher studies, seeking courses that are not available in Goa.
Can that change? If the size of Goa and the lack of space are viewed as liabilities in Goa becoming an industrially-developed manufacturing State, then this should be turned into an advantage to make Goa into an education hub. The immediate advantages when compared to an industrial state are neither the threat of pollution, nor a migrant labour force. Land, naturally, will still be the issue, but the gain of Goa turning into a knowledge centre, could far outweigh the losses on this count. The student community will be a floating population that once completes its course will return to their own State, to be replaced by others. They will not be making Goa their permanent home, which in the current circumstances, might appeal to a number of Goans.
The benefits of an educational hub are vast and could percolate into other sectors. The possibility of this boosting tourism footfalls cannot be ignored. Not only will a cluster of high quality institutes lead to parents of students coming to the State on a regular basis, when they finish their courses and return to the homes, the national and internations students could be the best brand ambassadors for Goa. It may even lead to a better quality of tourists coming to the State. But more importantly, Goa has to diversify from the tourism and mining sectors, and the most favourable avenue for the State is transforming into an education hub. So, instead of industrial estates, can there be educational estates in Goa?
But all this will not happen quickly or without effort. For Goa to emerge as an educational hub of higher learning, it will require a determined push from the government, with focussed planning on how this will be achievable. It cannot happen otherwise. It is ideally suited for such a hub – location wise and culture wise too. It is already known as a tourist attraction, so the marketing of the place is partly taken care of by this. What is now required by the government is to show that it can move beyond announcements and statements. It has to do and show that it is serious about transforming Goa into an educational hub. This perhaps can be the project that the government undertakes for the coming year.
