MAPUSA
Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira has criticised the Education Department and Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan over a circular seeking health data of schoolchildren for creating and validating ABHA IDs, alleging that the exercise is being carried out in haste and without following Union government guidelines.
The circular, issued by Goa Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan on August 13, directs schools to submit details including children’s height, weight and haemoglobin levels by August 17.
Ferreira questioned how schools could collect and upload haemoglobin data within such a short deadline when Union government guidelines provide for health assessments by mobile medical teams at schools. He said government medical teams were required to visit schools and conduct the examinations, with the findings verified through government laboratories. Private laboratories, he said, could not simply be used to generate and upload the required reports. “The circular was sent to schools on August 13 and they expect the data to be submitted by Monday. How is this circular to be implemented without the mobile medical team being available at the schools?” he asked.
Ferreira also questioned why the data was being sought at such short notice and who would bear the cost of tests if schools were expected to use private laboratories.
He said the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), which aims to identify health deficiencies among children from birth to 18 years, was a positive initiative. However, he questioned why the Goa government had not started collecting the data earlier.
Ferreira said he supported the programme’s objective but warned that the government should not undermine it by forcing schools to collect medical data in a manner inconsistent with the prescribed procedure.
