Well merited honour
for Dr Bandekar
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A proud moment for Goa that the Global Society for Health and Educational Growth has honoured the Dean of Goa Medical College Dr Shivanand Bandekar with the National Achievement Award 2024 for being the Best Dean in Academic Administration. A well-deserved Honour for the very meritorious Dr. Bandekar whose commitment and dedication to patients and to the efficient administration of the GMC has been extra-ordinary.
Due to the tireless efforts of Dr Bandekar, the Goa Medical College has seen a huge growth over the last few years. He has successfully carried forward the hard work of his illustrious predecessors to ensure the betterment of medical care at Goa Medical College. It is a mammoth and strenuous task given the sheer magnitude of the Institution.
To lessen the burden on the Goa Medical College with the sheer number of patients with a variety of illnesses it has to grapple with, it would be prudent for the Government to provide quality medical care in every taluka so that lives are saved by people having easy and quicker access to medical facilities.
Aires Rodrigues, London
Human trafficking
must come to a halt
Although human trafficking has hit the headlines again in the country, children and young girls are the primary targets of the unscrupulous for years. Article 23(1) of the Constitution prohibits forced labour and human trafficking in the country.
Human trafficking in India was, till July 2024, largely controlled by section 370 of the IPC and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956 also known as ITPA, and is now regulated by section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita(BNS).
There are quite a few laws that are aimed directly or indirectly at preventing human trafficking. But not many have been successful in protecting children from being exploited at the hands of vested interests.
Prostitution, child labour, begging, domestic work, farm work and child marriage are the offshoots of child lifting. Breaking criminal—anti social mafia, tracing and addressing the roots of the causes of trafficking, engaging all stakeholders to provide more teeth to the existing laws, balancing contempt towards offenders with compassion towards the affected, are all important.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
High dropout rate at
secondary schools
Goa reportedly aims to attain a 100 percent literacy rate by December 2025 with the involvement of various communities and local panchayats. Currently Kerala is the only state in India to have achieved 100 percent literacy.
The state’s literacy rate has increased from 88.7% in 2011 to 93.2% according to the 2019-20 census. Goa’s literacy rate is reportedly high due to the state’s extensive network of schools and education policies. However the ground realities seem quite different. According to the report of Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2023-24 released by the Department of School Education and Literacy of the 1,487 schools in Goa, there are 238 schools with a single teacher. These schools had a total enrolment of 3,142 in the year 2023-24. On the flip side as many as 16 teachers are appointed in four schools with zero enrolment.
One wonders about the role of the teachers in these schools when there are no students. In this age of Information Technology of the 789 government schools, only 20% have functional computer facilities. Education is important for a child’s development in many ways, which includes instilling values and social and emotional development.
Children learn fundamental values like honesty, accountability, and cooperation. Education helps students prepare for further education and a better future. The dropout rate at the secondary level stood at 8.07% which must be considered as exceptionally high. This is a matter of concern and necessary remedial measures need to be taken to reverse the trend.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
