THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
While hundreds of students do the Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd) (formerly called the DEd) each year, the government admits that not a single post has been created to absorb these diploma holders in the past three years.
Answering an unstarred question tabled by Tivim MLA Nilkant Halarnkar in the Assembly, Education Minister Pramod Sawant produced statistics on how many students did their DElEd each year, and from which institution they’ve passed out.
However, in response to the “number of vacancies created in government and aided schools”, Sawant’s response was “Nil.”
In response to Halarnkar’s query about the number of DElEd holders awaiting employment, and whether there is any petition by the unemployed DElEd graduates, the Education Minister said that the number of DElEd holders awaiting employment was “not applicable” in view of the fact that no vacancies have been created.
Sawant further claimed that there is no petition by the unemployed DElEd holders.
Each year, over 40 students do their DElEd in English from the District Institute of Education & Training, Porvorim, and over 40 students do their training from the same institute in Marathi.
Close to 50 do their training from the Shree Vithal Institute of Education and Training, in Colvale, around 50 do their training from the Nirmala Institute of Education, Altinho, and for the first time in 2018-19, 45 students did the Diploma from the St. Joseph Vaz Institute of Education, in Cortalim.
It will be remembered that over the past year, the unemployed DElEd holders have carried out several protests at the Secretariat and the Azad Maidan, demanding that the government not give permission to more DElEd courses until the current diploma holders who are unemployed are absorbed.
DElEd holders also asked that the Department of Education not allow BEd holders to apply for pre-primary and primary posts and that the same be reserved only for DElEd holders.
