Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has decided to revise a chapter on Goan windsurfing star Katya Coelho in the newly introduced Class VIII Konkani textbook after factual mistakes were brought to its attention.
The lesson, included this academic year under the National Education Policy (NEP)-based curriculum, drew criticism after Coelho highlighted several inaccuracies concerning her sporting career. She also pointed out that certain achievements had either been incorrectly presented or omitted altogether.
One of the mistakes identified in the chapter was the incorrect mention of Indian women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur in place of Indian men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh.
Sources in SCERT said the council has reviewed the concerns raised and initiated the process of correcting the content. The revised text will be incorporated in the next print edition of the textbook to ensure students receive accurate information.
Katya Coelho is regarded as one of India’s most accomplished windsurfers and remains the country’s only female sailor to have represented India at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games. Her inclusion in the textbook marks a rare recognition, making her only the second sportsperson from Goa, after football icon Brahmanand Shankhwalkar, to have a dedicated chapter in a Konkani school textbook.
The development has underlined the importance of careful fact-checking and editorial review in educational publications, particularly when documenting the achievements of distinguished personalities for school students.
