THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
For the past two years, Goan students studying in professional colleges and who have opted for the interest-free education loans from the Goa Education Development Corporation (GEDC) are in a fix after the GEDC has not given them the loans, and the colleges refuse to accept more excuses.
Although the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) did not reveal exactly how many students are in a fix because of this, the GPCC has given the GEDC two days within which to put their heads together and solve the problem, and give the loans to the students as promised.
If this does not happen, Congress spokesperson Amarnath Panjikar said on Monday at a press conference in the Congress headquarters, that a delegation from the Congress would gherao GEDC officials starting with chairman Kanta Patnekar.
The Congress said that around 10 students had approached the party with grievances of having faced a tough time because they had to pay the college fees and did not have the resources to do so. Principals too are tired of waiting for the loans to come, they say.
When "The Goan" contacted GEDC officials, they said that the files were pending because of the "code of conduct". The GEDC has no idea how many students have applied for the loans, how many have been given the loans, and how many are pending.
INSET
Regularise vocational teachers : Cong
PANAJI: The Congress on Monday demanded that the government regularise teachers teaching the vocational streams in Standards 11 and 12.
Panjikar said that these teachers are not permanent staff like teachers of other streams and hence do not get the same benefits like travel and dearness allowance, besides getting a paltry salary per month.
