Portable course
credits
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Ahead of the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, Goa University has issued an ordinance to create Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) , these credits earned by individual students is transferable to any college in India if a student decides to shift base.
For instance if the parents of any student are transferred to any other location in India all the acquired credit for the year would be deposited in the student’s account, this ensures flexibility for students pursuing higher education including allowing them to study for two degrees at the age time.
This is a good move considering that all universities and educational institutions in the west have the portable credits model to ensure continuity and stretch in the learning process. This also sees to the fact that an academic year is not wasted due to extraneous factors. It would be a good idea to emulate GU’s model countrywide.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Junction a death
trap for too long
The Ribandar-Chimbel Junction has been a death trap for too long. How many more precious lives will have to be lost for the authorities to awaken? Ironically, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant regularly zooms across this road which sees heavy flow of traffic and chaos at the junction which is very accident-prone. It is about time that the work of the flyover is done which has been in cold storage.
The Traffic and Transport authorities while penalizing those violating traffic rules must also ensure that they regulate the free flow of traffic. The Atal Setu Bridge was inaugurated in 2019 but there is still traffic chaos under the bridge at Panjim due to lack of proper signages. It is so confusing for locals and one can imagine the plight of tourists navigating on this road.
At many busy intersections across Goa we see vendors and hawkers squatting and making the roads further chaotic.There is a need to relocate them to avoid accidents at these junctions. Stray cattle and dogs even on the highways are also the cause for a lot of accidents.
Proper road engineering to ensure safety is of paramount importance. Government’s first duty and highest obligation is public safety. Safety does not happen by accident. It is the solemn duty of everyone to take their own safety and the safety of others seriously.
Goa is now known as a gambling, prostitution, drug and crime haven. Let our concerted efforts be to save it from being an accident destination too.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
School shooting
As one with three lovely grandchildren, I feel terribly upset, depressed and terribly annoyed over the cold-blooded murder of 19 innocent school children and three of their teachers by a mad element in the US. While the free gun licensing system in the so-called well advanced country is attributed for the carnage, another major reason for youngsters like the murderer resorting to such heinous crimes is the violence-filled films, apps and the mobile phones that present all sorts of nonsense to these disgruntled elements.
It is paramount on the part of the parents to be in constant touch with their children, watch them carefully for any deviation in their conduct and behaviour. It is high time advanced countries like the US returned to value based family life making the children to listen to the advice of elders and lead a life of sanity. Too much of freedom also results in misuse of the same leading to criminal activities and immorality.
With the frequency of such incidents going up unabated in the US, it is imperative on the part of the respective states to ban issue of gun licenses forthwith.
Yvonne Fernando, Chennai
Bushisms and Freudian slips
Former US president, George Bush’s verbal slip ups have been a source of endless amusement in the past, the man once said that people ‘misunderestimated’ him and empathized with single mothers for ‘working hard to put food on your family’. But even by his sterling standards his recent gaffe on the Ukraine war was in another league.
He said, “The decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq – I mean Ukraine” before sheepishly shrugging his shoulders and mumbling “seventy five” referring to his age. Perhaps this was intentional but shall go down in history as the mother of all Freudian slips.
Rekha Sarin, Benaulim
Ambulance service for strays only
Minister for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, Nilkant Halarnkar reportedly said that the government will launch a special ambulance-like vehicle service in the state for street animals needing immediate medical attention.
There will be a staff member, a veterinary doctor and an attendant in order to attend to the injured animal which will be transported in the ambulance to the nearest animal husbandry and veterinary-service hospital if necessary.
In a similar way an ambulance will be started for smaller animals like dogs and cats. It is learnt that the veterinary ambulance service like the 108 will cater to the animals injured on the streets. This is a step in the right direction as several animals are hit by vehicles on the roads. They lie injured and those which are severely injured could even die as at present there is no facility to shift the animal to the Veterinary hospital.
However, unlike the 108 ambulance service which transports the accident victims as well as sick people from their homes, the veterinary ambulance service needs to be restricted only to stray animals which are distressed and injured on the roads. Pet animals, which are sick and under the care of the owner, need not be considered for the veterinary-ambulance services. This should be specified.
Otherwise the proposed dedicated animal helpline will be flooded with calls from pet owners throughout the day and probably even the night.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Neighbours in need are neighbours indeed
How do you define neighbourhood, helping each other, reaching out to each other during difficult times. In olden days if there was a wedding or a get to gather people in the neighbourhood used to come and help each other. Every body used to come to gather like a huge family. Each and every one used to have huge gala time.
But now in this modern world the term neighbourhood is literally changing. The human nature is changing and there is no humanity. People are all so practical, selfish, and self-centered. People has given their houses for rent but not bothered to do police verification for the tenants least bothered about the safety of their neighbours. They are become so mean that they clean their garbage and dump in their neighbour’s garden. Is this really called neighbourhood?
Anita Fernandes, Verna
Govt action on illegalities
I appreciate Minister Vishwajit Rane’s statements about taking action on illegalities, hill cutting, land filling etc. However, saying this I would like to know why the Railways are allowed to do so much illegal destruction of land, hill cutting, filling of water bodies etc.
Can I request the minister to look into the illegal destruction being done by the Railways as well and pursue the necessary lawful action and punishment of the erring railways personnel?
Arwin Mesquita, Colva
