PANJIM: The students of Goa College of Architecture (GCA), Altinho Panjim, boycotted classes for the second consecutive day and continued their protest against the college administration over non allotment of Council of Architecture (CoA) enrolment numbers.
The protesting students claimed that 50 odd students ie 20 per cent of the total students were without CoA enrolment numbers. However this claim couldn’t be ascertained, as the principal of GCA Dr Ashish Rege was not available in his office and his phone was switched off.
“In the year 2019, the government introduced the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota, by 10 seats, which has increased the seat intake from 40 to 50 students. However, there was a lapse in the part of the administration of the GCA, as they failed to update the CoA on the same. If this matter is not resolved at the earliest, the students who are not registered from the outgoing batches, starting from the current fifth years, will not be able to practice as professional architects and this has led to deep insecurity and distress amongst the students who are not registered from the present outgoing batches, as their entire professional training would be in vain,” one of the protesting student said.
“This will jeopardise their professional careers when they pass out with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, as they will not be able to apply for their architectural license without their Council of Architecture enrolment number. They will not be permitted to practice as professional architects in spite of the completion of the five years of education and training at GCA as per the Architects’ Act 1972,” she added.
Another student assumed that the reason why the CoA has not provided enrolment numbers to 50-odd students is, either the college administration failed to timely intimate CoA about intake of additional students or CoA must have refused to provide enrolment numbers as the college allegedly lacks required faculty members and infrastructure.
“The college administration has gone to the extent of advising us that we can use alumni’s enrolment numbers to practice instead of having our own. That is completely illegal. The administration has even failed to provide us with basic facilities in the college premises,” he claimed.
