PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has warned to shut down poor-performing private aided schools alleging that the quality of education is being sacrificed in the absence of good teachers.
Speaking during the launch of Knowledge Connect project by CII Panjim First, on Sunday, he slammed managements of several aided institutions for allegedly recruiting their relatives or favourites as teachers, claiming private sectors are ridden with nepotism.
“We had decided for grant-in-aid so that education institutions are able to function to improve the education system. They have more flexibility than the government system because we are answerable to the CAG for every step we take,” Parrikar, also education minister, said. “But there is more nepotism…it is worse than the government administration.”
Announcing that the Education Department will not control appointments of new teachers in the private-aided institutes from the next academic year – which gives the respective managements liberty to recruit teachers, he warned if the quality of education in any such institutes drop, the government will not shy away from closing them down. The chief minister stated that if the teaching staff is poor, one cannot blame the poor performance of students.
He also pulled up the aided schools from approaching government demanding protection on issues related to the teaching faculty. “You expect protection as if you are a government staff,” he commented.
The government, in another decision, will shut down the Royal High School at Taleigao phase-wise from the coming academic year. Parrikar revealed that in the next six years the high school will be closed beginning with the closure of class Vth next year.
The school was recently in the news for all the wrong reasons when suspended headmistress Maria Zita Afonso was booked for physically and mentally torturing the students. The Panjim police charge sheeted Afonso last week.
