MAPUSA: Youth should make use of educational opportunities for their own upliftment, said Bishop, Rev Alex Dias of Port Blair, while inaugurating the new premises of the Agnel Institute of Vocational Training at Assagao.

Bishop Dias praised Assagao for not only giving an opportunity for educational institutes to set up their premises almost free of cost in the village but even said that Assagao had produced many great personalities including two brothers who were Bishops  at Mangalore and had their roots in Assagao.
“It is not enough that the Pilar fathers take pains in creating this wonderful complex that could become a major educational campus in north Goa but also equally what was necessary was the fact that  our youth make use of these opportunities and get themselves well educated,” he said.
He further said that the Pilar fathers had a educational complex at Verna, at Vashi in Mumbai and at Noida in Haryana where education was being imparted considering the needs of the society and felt that soon Assagao would also be among such recognised places. 
Earlier, the vocational training institute block consisting of free classes for air conditioning and refrigeration, cookery, computer hardware, tool room technology, culinary sciences etc under the central government aid was inaugurated by Assagao sarpanch, Mr Pradeep Naik and blessed by Bishop Dias.
Welcoming the gathering, the regional superior, Fr Saturnino Almeida said that the Pilar fathers had acquired a vast stretch of land at Assagao measuring around 50,000 sq metres for setting up an educational complex that would include vocational training, entrepreneurship, degree and diploma courses in various spheres. He also said that the degree and diploma courses in tools and dyes would be started once the necessary works were done and later on all other courses would also be started. 
President of Assagao communidade, Mr Noel D’Souza urged the Pilar fathers to give some priority to local gauncars in terms of job opportunities.
Being initiated by the Pilar fathers under the auspices of Agnel Charitable Trust, the Agnel Technical Educational Complex at Assagao is a
` 400 crore project which would come up in an area of around 50,000 sq metres and consist of technical courses that would stand to benefit the entire north Goa as there is no major technical or engineering college in north Goa. 
The Pilar fathers hope to complete the entire project within the next 4 years so that the educational sector in North Goa receives a major boost.