Sliding back to the pre-Covid passing percentage, the overall passing percentage stood at 92.38, with girls scoring higher at 92.93 per cent.
The most remarkable achievement comes from the Sanguem taluka, where five out of six government high schools secured cent percent results. This despite the fact that the taluka as a whole scored lowest on overall passing percentage at 69.60 per cent. It challenged the prevailing perception that government schools do not offer quality education. None of the five aided schools in the taluka, achieved 100 per cent result. Among these government schools, the Government High School at Netravalli, which is located in a remote area devoid of tuition or coaching facilities for the students, has all the three taluka toppers. The students rely solely on the guidance of their teachers. Shocking as it may be, some of these dedicated teachers have been serving in the school on a contract basis for more than 18 years.
Education is a source of social upliftment, and spearheading in this direction, in a landmark achievement for the Wanarmare, a sub-tribe of the Kathkari community, Ganesh Pawar from Virnoda became the first student to pass the SSC examination. Renowned for their expert archery, the Wanarmare tribe’s rich heritage and skills underscore their resilience and unique identity. However, their nomadic lifestyle had pitched them at the bottom of the social ladder.
In June 2022, the National Achievement Survey (NAS), 2021, revealed the poor performance of the Goan school students compared to the national averages. Across all grades, Goan students had performed below the national average in Mathematics and their performances in other subjects were not satisfactory. In response, the Chief Minister had demanded that the teachers completely focus on their primary duty – ‘teaching’ – and not indulge in other side businesses. However, the fact that a large number of teachers, from primary schools to University, are being recruited on an annual contract or lecture basis and their remuneration is sometimes one-third the pay scale of full-time teachers, cannot be ignored.
In the same year, the Niti Aayog pointed out that the student-teacher ratio across all the levels of school education in Goa has remained much below the prescribed average. In Goa, the teacher-pupil ratio for mathematics was 1:58, while for science was 1:42 and for social sciences, it was 1:91, whereas according to the Right to Education Act, 2009, the teacher-pupil average should be 1:35.
On the other hand, the number of private schools is on the rise and parents who know that education is the only way to a better future for the individual, literally pay through the nose to afford the best quality education for their children. Schools are not just infrastructure, while it is one of the key factors for quality education, the number of teachers and the quality of the teaching fraternity determines the future of the pupil.
The government had allocated a little over 8% of the 2023-24 budget for school education, of which a majority of the fund goes into paying the salaries of the teachers. However, over the years the actual expenditures have always been lesser than the budget estimates and the government should therefore rethink its priorities.
The education sector needs the focal attention of the government with a dedicated minister and higher budget allocation to meet the demands of the AI (artificial intelligence) era. Apart from the infrastructural development, schools in the State need better human resource personnel which is recruited solely for their dedication to the future of the students. Teaching cannot be treated merely as yet another public sector comfort job, but as a noble profession that has been creating better human beings and future leaders.
