Govt to give laptops to students

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-08-21
PANAJI - The Education Minister, Mr Atanasio Monserrate has assured to improve infrastructure in all the government schools in the state, particularly in rural areas that were in dilapidated condition, even as he declared that the government would distribute laptops to the students under EDUNET Scheme, from next year.
Replying to issues raised by the members of the House during discussion on demands for education and other departments held by him, Mr Monserrate also said that he would give special attention to vocationalisation of education, which would also help reduce drop out rate.
He also announced enhancement of salaries of vocational teaching staff, the grants to schools to introduce courses related to IT, tourism and agriculture.
The Education Minister also declared that he has plans to regulate and register all the pre-schools in the state, which were mushrooming all over. He also said that a uniform curriculum would be introduced for pre-school students, based on the play-way method. He further said that Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has been a success, which has helped in universal enrollment, retention and quality elementary education.
He also said that though Goa boasts of over 82 per cent literacy, there was need for addressing the problem of remaining 18 per cent. He said that he has plans to provide literacy and vocational training in centres run by village panchayats, for which assistance of Rs 60,000 per centre would be given. He also announced that better quality food items would be supplied under mid-day meal scheme by raising the amount for the same.
Stating that education in government schools has been injected with new strength with the introduction of radical administrative reforms, Mr Monserrate went on to add that to eliminate the problem of lecture/contract basis teachers, new norms and guidelines for creation of teaching and non-teaching posts in government schools have been formulated.
He further said that the government has plans to establish school educational complexes at Bambolim, Margao and Mapusa as many urban schools lack infrastructure and function in congested quarters. The first such complex would come up at Bambolim and would have independent institutions with common facilities like playground, computer centre, cultural centre, gymnasium etc.
The Education Minister also announced that the needs of the computer teachers would also be looked into, so that they too receive decent emoluments and the road map laid down for them would be expedited, adding that teachers with more than five years of service would be regularised. He also said that education department has signed MoU with two NGOs for quality improvement in the field of education. As a step towards e-governance, he said that there was a plan for computerisation of the education department so as to make it department on-line or department on demand and that services for the schools, schemes etc would be rendered through a web portal. He also said that all the records would be computerised and relevant data compiled for policy decisions. He also said that skill-based education would be promoted by the government.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat (who held the education portfolio until it was given to Mr Monserrate earlier this month) sought to dispel doubts raised by the members of the House over the scheme for supply of laptops to teachers, saying that enough options were given to them to select the laptops of their choice and nothing was thrust on them. He also said that there was a clause in the scheme which made it clear that only the rate prevalent at the time of purchase would be paid.
As regards to cheque handed over to a school on completion of 100 years under the special grant scheme for schools that have completed 75 and 100 years, he said that the same was done at the request of the management of the school, even as he said that directives were issued to education department to take all applications on record till the scheme was made operational.
All the cut motions relating to the education and other departments were defeated when the Speaker, Mr Pratapsing Rane put them to vote on the floor of the House. The demands were passed by voice vote.