Team Goemkarponn
PORVORIM: The directorate of education (DoE) said Friday that it will evaluate the legal status of unrecognized pre-primary, nursery, kindergarten I, and kindergarten II schools operating throughout the state, urging parents not to enroll their children in these institutions.
The DoE also issued a warning to anyone operating an unrecognized pre-primary school that they could be fined up to Rs 50,000 because operating such a school is a crime.
At a news briefing, Education Director Shailesh Zingade stated that Goa has more than 700 pre-primary institutions.
The taluka level and zonal officers of the directorate will soon begin surveying unrecognized pre-primary schools to determine whether they are prepared to implement the Panchakosha concept of education under the national education policy 2020.
“The government would need to amend the Goa School Education Act and Rules in order to recognize these schools,” he added.
Zingade advised all pre-primary schools, including those operating in houses and garages, to immediately improve their infrastructure and provide a small playground as well as restrooms for both boys and girls in order to obtain provisional permission from the directorate.
In response to a question, Zingade stated that the DoE does not have any data regarding the unrecognized pre-primary schools.
In response to another question, the education director stated that no parent had filed a complaint with the directorate regarding the unrecognized pre-primary schools in Goa, but that “we have taken cognisance of a similar complaint from a politician.”
He clarified that the institutions providing non-formal education, including Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas, are not under the education directorate’s scrutiny.
