Goa is staring at a worrying shift in its education landscape, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant publicly voicing concern over the sharp decline in enrolment for professional courses, especially engineering. Nearly 30% of seats in the State’s engineering colleges have remained unfilled in recent years, a statistic that underscores the growing disinterest of Goan students in careers once considered prestigious.
Calling the trend a wake-up call, Sawant urged educators, institutions, and policymakers to rethink how professional courses are designed and delivered. He stressed that unless these programmes are made relevant to the demands of the modern job market, Goa risks producing fewer skilled professionals to drive its economy forward.
His remarks have ignited a heated debate among educationists and social observers, exposing multiple fault lines behind the crisis.
Retired schoolteacher and activist Dr Sabina Martins placed the blame squarely on Goa’s employment scenario.