PANAJI: Stating that 1,200 school hours mandated under NEP 2020 refer to "learning hours" and not "teaching hours", Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday announced to rationalise the schooling hours to ensure a joyful and stress-free learning experience for students.
The Chief Minister said the government is committed to implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) in phases, with a focus on reducing academic burden, upgrading infrastructure, and introducing reforms in language instruction. As part of this, new NEP-compliant textbooks for Class IX will be introduced from the next academic year.
Sawant informed the House that work has already begun to improve infrastructure in government schools, while aided schools have been issued directions to do the same. “We will also consider giving grants to aided schools in the future to maintain their infrastructure,” he said.
On early education, Sawant announced that all pre-primary schools have been asked to register with the government. So far, 702 institutions have applied for registration and recognition. “After conducting inspections, we will make decisions on their fee structures, teacher salaries, eligibility for government grants, and regularisation of contractual staff,” he added.
The House also witnessed a brief exchange between Congress MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira and the Chief Minister over the implementation of the Romi script in schools. Ferreira raised a point of order, accusing the government of making a false statement in the House regarding the NEP Task Force's recommendations. He tabled a report which recommends introducing both Devnagri and Romi Konkani scripts at the preparatory stage to encourage multilingualism.
In response, Sawant clarified that the Task Force had recommended the Romi script in general (referring to the English alphabet A, B, C), and not specifically the Romi Konkani script. He further stated that the Romi script is already implemented along with Devnagri.
Sawant also addressed the demand for regional-language medium schools, noting a contradiction among legislators. “Every MLA is appealing for government primary schools in Konkani and Marathi medium, but they are sending their own children to English medium schools,” he said. He added that if existing schools are well-equipped and their proposal doesn’t disturb nearby institutions, the government is ready to grant permissions to start Konkani medium sections.
In a major announcement for Margao, Sawant revealed that the government has acquired 1 lakh square metres of land to set up a school complex on the lines of the Cujira Education Complex in Bambolim. “All city-based schools in Margao will be shifted there. Each school will be asked to build its own premises, and plot allotment will begin within the next three months,” the Chief Minister said. Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai extended support to resolve any issues related to the project.
