PANAJI
The State government’s ambitious scheme to provide vacant school buildings to NGOs and other non-profit voluntary organizations for use is yet to kick off even two years after its implementation.
Though the Education Department has identified around 70 such buildings for allotment and several applicants including Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s founded Sai Institution, showing interest, not a single premise has been allotted till date.
The failure of the High-Powered Committee, headed by Sawant, the education Minister, to meet even once in the past two years, has kept the allotment process on hold.
Speaking to The Goan, Director Education Shailesh Zingade confirmed that so far not a single allotment has been done through the scheme though, quite a number of vacant school premises have been identified.
“In the first phase, we had moved a proposal to allot seven buildings. The proposals are pending as the High-Powered Committee meeting is not yet scheduled,” he said.
Zingade, however, said that the department has already allotted premises to other government entities like Women and Child Department for commissioning Anganwadi and Health department for dispensaries in various panchayats.
He said that the scheme was launched with an intention to make better use of the unused school premises.
As per the government reply tabled on the Floor of the House, Konkani Bhasha Mandal has made maximum of 23 applications for vacant buildings in Tuem, Dhargal, Bandora, Shiroda, Panchwadi, Verem, Priol, Borim, Dharbandora, Amona, Sulcorna, Vazari, Dhumashe, Kothambi, Olvaliye, Dhan Dhave and Hirvem, among others.
Similarly, the Sanquelim-based Sai Life Care NGO and Sai Paramedical Institute have applied for the premises of government primary school buildings at Vazari, Virdi, Narve, Dhumashe, Surla, Kothambi, Ghongdi Maina, Padoshe, Nirankal and Priol.
In many cases, the Sai NGO, Sai Paramedical Institute and Sai Nursing Institute have applied for the same premises.
An organisation, working with trafficking victims, Arz (Anyay Rahit Zindagi) has applied for premises in Vasco.
The scheme provides allotment of vacant government primary school buildings on leave and license basis to eligible non-profit institutions for a term of upto 30 years, that can be further extended as per the government decision.
