PANAJI
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Minister for Craftsmen Training Deepak Dhavalikar said, “We have already been granted approval by Goa Board. Once they get their SSC and HSSC certificates, students can also complete graduation in various streams.” Those students who have completed ITI courses of two-year duration from a recognised centre and have passed National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT)/State Council of Vocational Training (SCVT) examination with prescribed syllabus, and on their own volition have appeared and passed the examination conducted by the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) in two subjects “ Language I and Language II or Language III prescribed by GBSHSE, will be considered equivalent to have passed Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Examination. Similar will be the case with students who after passing standard Xth have completed ITI course of two-year duration. They will have to answer two subjects “ Language I or communication skills in English and Language II. The facility will also be extended to students who complete recognised ITI courses of one-year duration and complete one-year apprenticeship or certified employment. These students will have to register themselves as private candidates offering isolated subjects. “The implementation will begin from July, this year. Even those who have in the past completed ITI courses will be given opportunity to complete SSC and HSSC. Goa is the second state after Gujarat to implement this,” he said. Additionally, for vertical mobility after completing standard XIIth, Goa University has also given a nod at its recently held academic council meeting. “We have also prepared the matrix for mobility between ITI courses and undergraduate courses of the University and forwarded the same for approval,” said Director of Craftsmen Training Aleixo da Costa. Presently, there are 41 trades running across 17 ITIs across the State, of which 10 are government-run while seven are private ITIs. “Additionally, we have already proposed to have an ITI at Dharbandora. We are also trying to start ITI for the hospitality trade in Velim. It is a request by the local MLA”, said Dhavalikar.
Under the new rule, students who have completed ITI courses of two-year duration from a recognised centre and have passed relevant exams, and have also appeared and passed the exam conducted by Goa Board will be considered equivalent to having passed SSC exam