Refund fees charged to re-check answer sheets
Students pay fees when they appear for the exams conducted by the Goa Board (for Classes X and XII), colleges and universities. If the students pass with good scores then it is fine but sometimes students apply for retotaling and/or re-evaluation (R&R) in one or more subjects if they have obtained marks less than their expectations. After R&R by a new examiner the marks may or may not change.
The fees for R&R are more (especially for re-evaluation) then the exam fees since the answer sheets must be retrieved from the repository and new evaluators are to be appointed and paid. The contention here is, if after R&R a student obtains higher marks then the fees paid should be refunded. Presently, the high and non-refundable fees for R&R discourage the students and they are financially burdened for no fault of theirs even if they score better after R&R. There are cases where students have taken an extreme step on seeing their low marks which were inadvertently given by the examiners. Hence, examiners who give low marks without any valid reasons, wrongly totalled the marks or even missed correcting some questions need to be admonished and penalised. After all students lives and careers are at stake.
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
Climate change can only get worse
The excessive flooding in north India and drastic consequences for the people due to climate change and excessive rains are also exhibited all over India but maybe with less devastating consequences. We are planning to go to the moon but planning for expected monsoon and increasingly heavy rains leaves much to be desired. Disaster management has vastly improved, but prevention is better than cure and using non monsoon months for better drainage systems are definitely within our capabilities. The earth can absorb less and less due massive concretization, cutting of trees and vanishing green spaces. Our TCP is going full speed ahead and it is reported 1.86 lakh sq mtrs of green cover is recently converted into settlement, also in Gurugram the MCC spent Rs 100 crore in three years that is approximately Rs 9 lakh/day for civic works to prevent flooding. With all our municipalities likewise guilty of obvious lethargy/corruption, permitting buildings near river beds or planning wide roads and bridges paying scant attention to environment clearances/diluting them are dangerous. The people must speak up in one voice demanding transparency and accountability or bear the consequences year after year which will only get worse!
John Eric Gomes, Porvorim
Repurpose abandoned govt primary schools
It may be recalled that recently a part of the roof of the Government primary school in Vasco came crashing down. Fortunately no one was injured in the incident. However it brings to the fore the pathetic state of Government primary schools in the state. Many of the schools have been abandoned due to their deteriorated condition. It is learnt that the Ponda locals have proposed that instead of letting abandoned government primary schools deteriorate further, they should be repaired and repurposed for libraries, gymkhanas, anganwadis, self-help-groups, and NGOs. This will be a step in the right direction.
According to the citizens this will be a fitting tribute to the legacy of Goa’s first Chief Minister Bhausaheb Bandodkar. These abandoned schools could even be used as polling booths during elections after carrying out the repairs instead of conducting the polling in functioning schools. The government needs to carry out an audit of all the abandoned primary schools in the state and utilize them for other purposes after proper maintenance. Many of the citizens who have achieved success in life could have been students of these primary schools. Hence they could have an emotional attachment to these schools. Many of the schools could have historical importance and hence the structures need to be preserved for future generations.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Maha politics: The man for all seasons
One man has emerged a clear winner from the ‘Pawar play’ in Maharashtra –deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The former chief minister and leader of the opposition, like NCP chief Sharad Pawar, has friends in all parties. It is not an exaggeration to say that without its man for all seasons –Fadnavis, the BJP would have been able to pull-off both the short-lived midnight coup of 2019 and the present day stunner of inducting Ajit Pawar as deputy chief minister. When the BJP high command decided to go with Fadnavis as its preference for the Maharashtra chief ministership in October 2014, some sceptics doubted the soft-spoken and amiable Fadnavis’ ability to withstand the pulls and pressures that come to be associated with the tough job.
But Fadnavis, as the second youngest CM of one of India’s largest and important states, proved that the high command decision was a masterstroke. The 52-year old has admirably flowered into a leader of mettle. He has the knack of deftly balancing the twin tasks of providing an able and transparent administration as well as keeping an ally of different ideology in good spirits. Fadnavis is increasingly being seen as a go-getter and a canny tactician who knows his limits. His tirelessness, as evidenced by more than 60 rallies he addressed at a stretch during the last election campaign, was a revelation. The rallies were noticeable for his measured words: no unnecessary aggression or unneeded personal attacks. Popular, patient and plucky, the loyal BJP man, appears destined for bigger things.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
