Team Herald
PANJIM: Accusing the Goa government of imposing the Centre’s ‘diktats’ on them, the aggrieved parents on Monday, protested at Directorate of Education, Porvorim, demanding that the decision to reopen the schools from April 1, 2025, be withdrawn immediately.
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Speaking to mediapersons, Cecille Rodrigues, a parent, said, “The education officials have hurriedly pushed for the opening of the schools from April 1. In the Gazette Notification the Education Department has mentioned only five days. We are here because we are worried about the future of the children. No one was intimidated about the imposition of the new rule in the beginning of 2024. Even parents were not intimated during the second term also. But on January 31, 2025, a circular was issued stating that schools are going to reopen on April 1, 2025. Children are being given holidays for just two or three days which is wrong. Still we have not received proper justification why the schools will reopen soon after the examinations are over.”
“The decision has been taken without consulting the parents. You can see the heat intensity in the month of March. Even principals from across the State have voiced their protest saying that they are not happy with the decision because infrastructure of the schools is insufficient. Water is not available in some government and government-aided schools, nor do they have generators to provide electricity if the power goes off,” she added.
“Power failure keeps happening. Many parents have booked their tickets to go to their villages and their hometowns. How are the parents – the working class people- supposed to pick up and drop their children? These are the problems which teachers, parents and principals are facing. So our representation is that we are unhappy with what is happening,” she said.
Seby Mascarenhas, another parent, said, “Last year on May 16, the Goa Board made a statement that due to rising temperatures as a result of global warming, the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has decided to advance its Class X and XII public exams by three weeks. Board chairman Bhagirath Shetye had said that during the 2024 examinations there were cases of some students complaining of uneasiness due to the intense heat.”
Prasad Halankar said, “Question is for whom has the NEP been introduced. Basically we are the stakeholders but without taking us into confidence, the decision has been taken. This is absolutely wrong. Is the government really working for the interest of people or it is implementing decisions as per its whims and fancies? Decisions taken by the Centre are being simply bulldozed here.”
Tony Cardozo said, “There are many schools in the State which lack fans, forget about air-conditioners. My request to those making decisions is that they should work even for a single day without air-conditioners and then call children for extra classes.” Meanwhile, a headmaster of a Ramnathi-based high school has written to the Education Director objecting to the proposal of reopening of the schools from April 1, 2025.
Dattatraya Naik, Headmaster, GVM’s RPRS High School, Ramnathi, Bandora, has objected to proposed amendment to Rule 21 of Goa Education Rules 1986.
In a letter to the Education Director, Naik said, “The decision of reopening schools in April 2025 is taken in haste without any consultation with the stakeholders. Neither headmasters, teachers, parents nor management were taken into consideration before arriving at the decision.”
