Principal says management to take a call after court hears its petition on June 17
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: The Chowgule Education society has ruled out admissions to the higher secondary school till the High Court hearing on June 17, even as 550-odd students registered themselves for admissions till date.
The higher secondary school Principal Prof R V Gaonkar told Herald that the management would take a call on the admissions only after court hears its petition on June 17, challenging the decision of the department of education rejecting permission sought to close down the school.
When his attention was drawn to the threat issued by BJP spokesman Damu Naik to block entry to the Chowgule college campus on Tuesday, Gaonkar shot back, “Such a situation would only affect everyone”.
However, Chowgule higher secondary teacher, Prof Srikant More, begged to differ. He said there was no relation between admissions and the hearing in the court. “The high court has not stayed the admission process so far. The management cannot take shelter under the writ petition to delay the admission process,” he argued and added, “Teachers of the higher secondary school had called on Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar, to demand early commencement of the admissions.
Meanwhile, notwithstanding the suspense over the commencement of the admissions, students continued to queue up to register their names. Agitated parents too demanded that the CM and government immediately take over higher secondary and give relief to the students.
Damu calls for dharna
MARGAO: Condemning the defiant attitude of the Chowgule Education Society in not opening admissions for the higher secondary school, BJP spokesman Damu Naik has called for a dharna outside the Chowgule college on Tuesday morning to protest over the delay in opening the admissions.
Flanked by BJP leader Rupesh Mahatme, Damu warned that the dharna will not allow any college employee to enter the campus come what may. He said the time has come to teach the Chowgule Education Society a lesson for playing with the sentiments of the student community hailing from Salcete and south Goa.
Briefing media persons, Damu said that the society is trying to fool the parents and students by asking the latter to register their names instead of giving them admissions outright. “We demand that the government take over, not just the higher secondary school, the entire Chowgule Education Society under section 20 of the Goa Education Act. The government should acquire all the assets of the society and appoint an administrator to run the college and higher secondary school,” Damu demanded.
He reminded that the society was functioning with government aid and on land belonging to the Comunidade.
Vijai: Dharna speaks of BJP’s failure over issue
MARGAO: BJP spokesman Damu Naik’s bete noire, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardessai, ridiculed the dharna announced by the former and called it as an admission of the failure of the Parrikar government to take over the higher secondary school at the right time.
He said that protests and politics will not solve the problem.
“The government had given an assurance in the Assembly to take over the Chowgule Education Society if admissions were denied to students. It appears that the government did not take preventive action all this while,” he added. Vijai said an administrator should be appointed to run the higher secondary after the take over and BJP should desist from saffronisation of the educational institute.
