PANAJI
After the all Goa part-time teachers presented their grievances to the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday, on Friday the All Goa D Ed Trained Teachers Union (AGDTTU) submitted a memorandum to him with a list of their demands, including employment for the unemployed teachers.
Citing that there are already five institutes in Goa that award D Ed (Diploma in Elementary Education), the DEd teachers’ memorandum, signed by President Swati Kerkar and General Secretary Gauri Josalkar, called upon the government not to allow new DEd training institutes as many of the existing trained teachers were unemployed.
The memorandum stated that D Ed teachers are specifically trained to teach primary and middle school students. As such, the AGDTTU should not be allowed BEd teachers to apply for vacancies meant for primary and middle school teachers, whether on temporary, contract or full-time basis, it stated. The Union would like DEd teachers being employed in Goa to be “sons of the soil in the larger interest of justice to the army of thousands of unemployed DEd trained teachers.”
The AGDTTU also objected to the fact that when around 122 vacancies had been created by the government for primary teachers, BEd candidates were also eligible to apply. “These posts are basically meant for the DEd teachers who alone are eligible and capable to teach at the primary and middle school level,” the memorandum stated.
According to the AGDTTU, BEd teachers being allowed to fill primary and middle school posts, “results in addecting the quality of education being imparted to the primary level students and therefore result in their academic loss.”
At present, DEd training institutes at Colvale-Bradez, Porvorim-Bardez, Altinho-Panaji, Ponda and Sancoale-Mormugao award diplomas to 300 successful candidates every year.
While trained teachers with a DEd can teach only upto the middle school level, BEd trained teachers can can apply to teach at the primary and middle school levels, which overlaps with the levels a DEd trained teacher can teach. In addition, BEd trained teachers can apply to teach at the High School and Higher Secondary School levels as well.
