Education dept issues notices to 5 city schools

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-11-17
PANAJI- As a disciplinary measure, the education department issued notices to the five city schools namely People’s High School, Mary Immaculate Girls High School, Mushtifund Middle and Primary School, Dr K B Hedgewar High School and Seventh Day Adventist Primary School, for involvement of some of their students in throwing garbage in the office of the mayor, Mr Tony Rodrigues on November 12.
The NGOs supporting the cause of the students have decided to request the Children’s Commission to take action against the education department for neglect of safeguarding interests of the students.
“The notices issued under the provisions of the Goa School Education Act, 1984, have sought report as regards the incident from the respective schools,” a highly placed source at the DoE said.
The source added that the DoE needs to keep a check on the school students.
We came to know about the unruly behaviour of the students from the newspaper reports and decided to issue the notices seeking reports, before a specific date, the source maintained.
Around 350 students from the five schools had participated in a morcha, last week, demanding that the Corporation of the City of Panaji stop the stench emanating from its anaerobic digester plant at Patto.
The morcha later culminated into a meeting at the CCP headquarters, and a small group of students poured a bucketful of garbage in the office of the mayor to express their resentment.
The Goa Education Rules 1986, under the forbidden practices asks the students not to indulge in activities such as display of rowdyism and rude behaviour and use of violence in any form. If found doing so, the administrator may, on the advice of the Advisory Board, shift the students, who have not attained the age of 14 years, to a special school as he or she may think fit.
Meanwhile, Mother Earth and Goa People’s Forum, in their joint press statement have condemned the issuance of notices.
The two NGOs, which had guided the students’ morcha, said the notices are unwarranted and in midst of continuing foul smell, they have added salt to the wound of the suffering students and teachers.
“The DoE is expected to defend the interests of students but is instead harassing school managements,” the joint statement said, adding that the department which has not bothered about garbage pollution, has no moral right to issue the notices.
“The NGOs have decided to request Children’s Commission to punish the DoE for neglect of safeguarding interests of the students,” a press note from the two NGOs stated.