Team Goemkarponn
ALDONA: Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira has raised concerns over the Goa Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’s directive to schools to collect and submit health information of students for the creation and validation of ABHA IDs, questioning both the short timeline and the procedure being followed.
A circular issued on August 13 asked schools to provide details such as students’ height, weight and haemoglobin levels by August 17. Ferreira said the deadline did not appear practical, particularly for haemoglobin testing, which requires proper medical assessment.
He pointed out that health screening under the relevant Union government framework is expected to involve mobile medical teams visiting schools to examine children. The results, he said, should subsequently undergo verification through government laboratories.
Ferreira questioned how schools were expected to complete the process within days if medical teams had not been deployed. He also sought clarification on whether schools were being asked to approach private laboratories and, if so, who would meet the cost of such tests.
“The circular was issued on August 13 and the schools were asked to submit the information by Monday. Without the mobile medical teams visiting the schools, how can this process be completed?” Ferreira questioned.
The MLA said the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), which focuses on early identification of health-related deficiencies among children up to 18 years of age, serves an important purpose.
However, he questioned why the required health information had not been collected systematically earlier if it was now necessary for the exercise.
Ferreira said he supported the objective of improving child health and ensuring accurate health records but maintained that the government must follow the prescribed mechanism rather than place schools under pressure to collect medical information within an unrealistic timeframe.
He urged the authorities to clarify the procedure, ensure the involvement of authorised medical teams and address the issue of testing costs before asking schools to undertake the exercise.
