President of GSMA Prashant Naik at the general body meeting. Also seen are Vice-President Mangesh Mantravadi, Secretary Adrian Coutinho, and Treasurer Pradeep Kakodkar.
MARGAO
The Goa School Managements Association has strongly opposed the government's policy of applying Provident Fund (PF) rules to government-aided secondary and higher secondary schools in Goa.
At the general body meeting, the Association has adopted a resolution opposing the move. It was also decided to submit a memorandum in this regard to Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, Union Minister Shripad Naik, South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes, and Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Tanavade.
In a press statement, the Association president Prashant Naik stated that all permanent employees of educational institutions in Goa are already covered under the Provident Fund scheme. “Only temporary and contractual employees were not included. Although the Provident Fund Organization has taken a laudable decision to include all employees in the scheme, the above decision will cause a financial burden of lakhs of rupees on each educational institution in Goa”, Naik said.
He added: “Even though the government has assured that this expenditure will be reimbursed to the institutions in the form of grants, the educational institutions are doubtful about receiving this grant on time from the Education Department, which never releases even the Bal Rath (school bus) grant on time”.
In addition, Naik said the Association pointed out that as contributions towards the Provident Fund has been made compulsory from 2009, each institution will have to bear a burden of Rs. 10 lakh or more. Institutions running more than one school will have to pay around Rs. 50 lakh.
Basically, the managements of government-aided schools have to spend lakhs of rupees from their own pockets for creating infrastructure. They struggle to raise this money, and now, due to this additional financial burden the managements condition has become critical, he said.
The association has expressed fear that educational institutions many of which are operating from pre liberation time with the sole aim of social upliftment by spending from their own pockets, will collapse due to the implementation of this scheme. “This scheme will also put a burden of crores on the government treasury. Therefore, the Goa School Managements Association has requested that this scheme, which is burdensome for both the government as well as the school managements should not be applied to educational institutions”, he added.
