By Tomazinho Cardozo
In the recently concluded session of the Goa Legislative Assembly numerous issues related to Goa were discussed and highlighted. One such well-debated issue was education.

Practically all the MLAs participated in the discussion and many suggestions were put forward to improve the quality of education. However, I find a few very minor issues remained untouched; issues that can make a change in the quality of our education.
Those interested in education will say that the quality of education imparted in our schools needs improvement. Qualitative education means achieving an all round development of students. The Government initiates schemes to provide the required atmosphere in schools to facilitate complete growth of the child. Crores of rupees are provided to provide the required infrastructure. Some schools have benefited and some other schools hope to avail of the said benefits as soon as possible.
Many-a-time I feel that the Government and authorities responsible for raising the standard of education in Goa have their priorities wrong side up. There are some minor things that need attention and the will of the powers that be to effect a change for the better, many-a-time without even incurring much of a financial burden. However, these things are not given any importance in spite being brought to notice. Due to the negligent attitude of our bosses, be it at the school level or at the level of the Education Department, or at the ministerial level, students and consequently the standard of education suffer. I shall substantiate this statement with examples.
Take the case of the number of teachers. The number of teachers in a primary school is not based on the number of classes but on the pupil-teacher ratio, so much so that many-a-time primary schools with four classes have to content with two teachers only. Sometimes one teacher teaches more than one class in more than one medium of instruction. You can imagine the fate of students in such schools. How can you expect a high standard of education under such circumstances? Will the Government face a financial crisis if four teachers (at least) are provided for four classes in a Primary school?
Educationists and politicians always say that science plays an important role in the lives of students. We advise teachers and parents to inculcate a scientific temper in the children. We give reasons for this, but we fail to provide the required personnel to schools to help them achieve this goal. The existing Education Rules, which are almost 25-year-old, are outdated. According to these rules a Secondary School is entitled for a Laboratory Assistant (his job is to maintain the science laboratory and help science teachers in conducting practicals and demonstrations) if the total number of students in standard eight, nine and ten are at least 120. Schools with less than 120 students cannot have laboratory assistants. Is this not an injustice? How can authorities expect these students answer the same examination when are clearly disadvantaged?  What about the students of standard five and above from these school?  Are we not supposed to cultivate a scientific temper among them? A laboratory assistant for every school is a must and hence the Government must amend that rule on priority.
Politicians and bureaucrats should not treat education the way they treat industry, agriculture, etc. Education moulds the character and makes good citizens out of the children. All this is done through the teachers. Therefore, teachers should also not be treated like any other Government employee.
For example, take the case of a teacher who is retiring. Like any other Government employee he will superannuate on the last day of the month. It does not matter whether the teacher leaves the school in the first term or in the second term. He is out of the school. The students suffer. Even if a new teacher is appointed in his place students will be adversely affected as the continuity of the teaching-learning process gets broken. The Government has to bring an amendment to the concerned rule so that the teacher in question retires on the last day of that academic year.
The Government will do well if these small things are attended to on priority basis. It spends crores of rupees on schemes and events that are less important than education. Allocating a little more fund to education will definitely go a long way in improving the quality of education in Goa.