Education is an absolute must for every individual growing up. Sadly this is not the reality in a country as vast as India. But, it could soon be one in Goa once the Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Parrikar’s announcement about the neighborhood school concept is implemented. Holding the Education portfolio for the state, CM Parrikar announced his intention to implement the neighborhood school concept in Goa. This essentially means that all schools would have to give admission to every child regardless of their status in society if they live in the same locality where the school is located.
Admission for every child in order to get an education
On Tuesday, during a discussion regarding grants to the education department, Parrikar said that once this new concept was implemented, no schools would shut down nor would there be cases of denied admission. According to him, Goa has enough schools in every area to ensure that every child gets an education. “Goa is a saturated state with respect to schools”, he said.
He also announced that no new schools would be permitted to open. “I will not permit new schools to open… So the question of medium of instruction is not a serious problem. Around 2-3 schools have been given permission but those are in Konkani and Marathi and because there were no schools in a 2-3km radius in those locations. Today, one can find schools within 1-2 km,” he said.
According to the CM, all schools would have to give admission to every child in their locality. This would be one of the conditions for a grant-in-aid from the government.
Parents looking for admission for their children in schools where their elder child was already studying would also have an easier time. “If a sibling or if the parent has studied in a particular school, the school will have a quota for such admissions,” said the CM.
All the details of the neighborhood school concept will be made clear before the next academic year begins.
The education minister also said that the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) was developing an app that would allow teachers in government schools to inform the concerned government department if any school equipment was broken or in need of maintenance.
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Soon, schools will be forced to admit ‘neighbour’ kids: CM Manohar Parrikar
ItsGoa/AUG/KDGP
