MAPUSA: Options and challenges faced by the youth while making a career in Goa was the main topic which dominated the discourse at Friday Balcao, a fortnightly discussion involving citizens and experts of various fields held, at DESC Mapusa, on Friday.
The Principal of Sapteshwar High School, Mandrem Ramdas Kelkar was the key speaker who spoke on the problems faced by the youth due to unavailability of career guidance at the grassroots level.
He has developed a Konkani website on career options in Goa three years back.
“Career option and challenges in Goa is something that needs to be introduced to the youth at a young age. Today, there is a dearth of information on career options. In Class VIII itself students need to be guided and provided the options so they do not lend up making wrong choices. Currently, the trend is that students pass Class XII and then search options but later many realise that they have already joined the wrong stream,” he said.
Every year, September 29 is celebrated as Career Day in Goa and was fixed by the government and a circular was also sent to all the secondary and higher secondary schools to give career guidance to the students during that week.
A commendable initiative by our former chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was to compile and distribute CDs on career guidance to all the secondary and higher secondary schools in the State.
“Goa Education Development Corporation has personally taken an initiative in this and a career guidance CD was prepared which was distributed free of cost to all the secondary and higher secondary schools in Goa three years back. It was expected that the teachers should pass on the information to the students with the help of this CD. If students are prepared well in advance they would be set with their career option,” said Ramdas.
He also delved on the need for students and parents to change their mind set in regards to job options and career selection. There is a need for the thought to be changed in terms of career. “One should move from being a job seeker to a job giver. This mind set is lacking and hence many hotels in the coastal areas are owned by outsiders. They are turning out to be the job givers and we are the job seekers. It is high time we should strive towards becoming a job giver and entrepreneur,” said the key speaker at Friday Balcao.
“Students prefer government jobs. The youth need to be guided at the grassroots level and explained that nothing comes easy in life,” he added.
