The Goa government appears to have changed its stand on setting up an educational estate in the state yet again. The Directorate of Higher Education has roped in the University and College Teachers’ Association, Goa (UCTAG) now to conduct a seminar to seek views of all stakeholders on setting up an educational hub in Goa.
According to UCTAG, the idea of an educational hub in Goa has been rekindled with the Centre’s Planning Commission identifying Goa as being ideal for promotion of an educational hub. The seminar to be held at NIO on October 7 will bring on a common platform policy makers, educationists, investors, students and representatives of the government.
“If Goa is made an educational hub, the idea will open the door to private institutions, both from India and abroad, interested in investing, providing infrastructure, setting higher standards of academic excellence and creating a framework for achieving this purpose,” UCTAG general secretary Sajani D’Costa told mediapersons on Saturday. A report on the views expressed at the seminar will be submitted to the state government.
The educational hub was first planned by the state government in 2006 to attract students from all over the country and abroad, in a bid to achieve the highest educational standards. But, work on the project continued to be delayed by the state for unknown reasons. Finally, on August 14 this year, education minister Babush Monserrate announced that the idea was scrapped altogether by the state cabinet as “there was no need felt for an educational estate in the state”.
Exactly a month after the announcement, chief minister Digambar Kamat went on to declare in Delhi that Goa was planning two educational estates in the state. However, speaking to mediapersons on the following day itself, Monserrate clarified “Even if the chief minister has said that two educational estates will be set up in Goa, he (Kamat) is expecting integrated school complexes. There is no question of changing the decision to scrap the educational estates.”
The Directorate of Higher Education and UCTAG surprised all yet again by announcing the seminar to solicit views on setting up an educational hub in Goa. In what appears to be a bid by the state government to avoid the fiasco that led to the scrapping of the plan to set up a central university in Goa, Dr V B Godinho of the knowledge commission will open the seminar with a talk on how the educational hub is different from a central university.
Members of UCTAG said that conditions will be set for private institutes to acquire land in Goa, in view of apprehensions of Goans that this could be only a tactic to grab land in the state. They said that intake and courses to be offered will also be decided keeping in mind the interests of students and educational institutes in Goa. D’Costa said that with revenue dropping from tourism and mining industries in Goa, education was being seen by the government as a good means to boost the economy.
Courtesy: TOI
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