PANJIM: While gearing up for implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the State government has constituted a 15-member Goa School Education Advisory Council, with immediate effect, to advise on policy matters.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who is also Minister for Education, will head the council, which has come into force and has been constituted by invoking provisions of the Right to Education Act, 2009. It will have a two-year term.
“The Government of Goa is pleased to constitute the Goa School Education Advisory Council under the powers vested in as per Section 34 (1) of Right to Education Act, 2009 with immediate effect for the purpose of advising the government on the matters of NEP relating to education in the State,” said Director of Education Shailesh Zingde, in a notification issued.
As per the notification, five members are ex-officio appointees – Director of Education, Director of State Council of Education, Research and Training (SCERT), Principal of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Deputy Director of Education (Admin) and Project Director of Goa Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.
A representation has been given to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Classes and minority communities on the Council. The appointees are Vishal Singnapurkar (SC), Dr Shambhu Ghadi (ST), Dr Prakash Paryekar (OBC) and ex-Goa Board chairman J R Rebello (minority).
With a focus on expertise in specific areas of education and teaching, the government has appointed Dr Alan Abreu, Principal of GVM’s BEd College; Dr Gopal Pradhan (faculty SCERT), Roshan R Samant (pre-primary education) and Dr Guruprasad Kapdi (education of children with special needs) on the council.
The government has implemented NEP at the ‘foundation stage’ — which includes three years of pre-primary school, Class I and Class II — from the current academic year, in a phased manner, in some schools. It intends to introduce NEP in toto at high school and higher education levels from the next academic term.
