Karmali is a freedom fighter?
This gentleman Karmali was residing in my house at Portais, Panaji as paying guest in 1970s along with some of his friends. He was a nice person and well behaved man at that time. What made him change his colours on dual citizenship imbroglio? Why he is after the Fontainhas road which was named after Portuguese heroes. I never realized when he had turned into a freedom fighter and entered politics. He has forgotten that he still gets pension from freedom fighters scheme because of the Portuguese. Nowadays he goes on giving statements that the Portuguese consulate must be closed down. Then probably he should surrender all his previous pension and stop receiving a salary. If he does that I salute him and may be Goa government can name one of the streets as Karmali Road where he desires in Goa. Just because Goans are trying to get Portuguese passports and continue to reside in Goa, does not mean they have turned into Naxalites or terrorists. What will he gain if the consulate is closed down at Altinho when many Goans are searching for better prospects in European countries including Portugal? If he still has the energy, he could devote his time for Panaji which is going from bad to worse as regards to pollution, garbage, roads, casinos, scams, St. Inez Creek, including Ourem Creek etc.
Stephen Dias, Dona Paula
Wrong academic culture
As of principal I am myself opposed to the idea of making attendance mandatory in classrooms. I believe that if a student finds it convenient to study outside the classroom by his own means then there is no harm in it. But when the University guidelines and the college prospectuses across Goa clearly state that 75 percent per semester is mandatory, can students be given the benefit of doubt here? The admission form of any College in Goa and elsewhere in India too contains a declaratory clause stating that the student is ready to abide by all rules and regulations of the college. One of the principal rules is a minimum of 75 percent attendance per semester. Hence can students of Dhempe College really be said to be on the correct side of the argument? The students’ argument that their lack of attendance was due to cultural activities and NAAC Accreditation process seems invalid. It is an established procedure across educational institutions to grant “Duty Leave” to students who represent the institution in any sport/cultural/ extra or co-curricular event. Such “Duty Leave” is considered to be a part and parcel of the minimum 75 percent attendance.
However what concerns me most about this whole imbroglio is the blatant political interference in the autonomy of the Goa University at the behest of the nascent “Goa Forward”. What right do the politicians and students have to wrongfully restrain Dr. Satish Shetye (Vice Chancellor of the varsity) in his chamber for hours together?
The basic premise of the students (whose side seems to be even upheld by the Chief Minister) is that the Dhempe College held special remedial classes for them in lieu of their less attendance. But is the College entitled to hold such classes? Is it not an injustice inflicted upon those regularly attending the lectures? Were the aggrieved students not aware of the possible circumstances before missing their lectures for fun and frolic? If this is the type of academic culture our politicians with to establish in Goa, then Goa has no great future.
If the politicians and new political mushrooms like “Goa Forward” were really interested in ensuring that the mandatory attendance clause is deleted from the rule books, why did they not challenge the clause before the Courts, despite the Vice Chancellor advising them to do so? Or was this fiasco a mere attempt to win the support of young students for the “Goa Forward” which is a new entrant in Goan politics?
Virendra Sudhindra Chari, Panaji
