BICHOLIM
Stating that only students completing 6 years will be admitted to Std 1 in the next academic year, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday admitted that the decision as per the New Education Policy (NEP) could lead to a reduction in admissions by about 4,000 students in the State. “However, this drop of 4,000 students will be filled in the academic year 2027-28,” said Sawant.
The chief minister was addressing a gathering at the government primary school in Falwada-Kudnem in Bicholim, which was named the Late Manohar Parrikar Government Primary School.
“As soon as the child turns 5 years, parents are keen to have their child admitted to Std 1, but no one thinks about the mental and intellectual capacity of the child. The government’s NEP has been carefully considered so that children do not encounter any stress from studying at an early age,” said Sawant.
Paying rich tributes to Parrikar, Sawant said the late chief minister had been instrumental in renovating all government primary schools in Goa during his tenure as chief minister in 2012.
“Parrikar had played a pivotal role in improving the educational system and educational facilities in Goa. However, the number of students seeking admission to government schools in rural areas is on the decline, and this is a pity,” said Sawant.
“There are many reasons for this situation. Students from villages are studying in city schools, or families from villages are migrating to cities. Due to this, more children from the migrant community are studying in rural government schools.”
The chief minister also said that the late Parrikar had been responsible for setting up a modern building for the government primary school in Falwada-Kudnem, and it was befitting that the school was being named after him.
