Goa's computer literacy programme under cloud

Even as the 2005-06 academic year has begun, the "Computer Literacy Programme" (CLP) launched with much funfare by the Goa government a decade ago is yet to commence.

Both the educational institutions and of secondary and higher secondary students seems to be in the dark over the fate of the programme for the current academic year.

The controversy over recruiting 590 computer teachers continues. The teachers have been demanding regularisation of jobs on scales of normal teachers.

And with this, the contract was discontinued at the time of the President's rule in the state when it was found that these computer teachers did not have teaching skills and some of them were undergraduates.

Given the quality of computer institutes, the computer skills of those passing out are indeed suspect.

All government teaching jobs for computers require at least a post-graduate diploma in computer applications (PGDCA) through a recognised university or a bachelor's degree in computer applications (BCA) or even a master's degree in computer applications (MCA).

"There are over 150 teachers, who are not even graduates, having only completed the HSSC examination with some basic computer knowledge," Goa's education minister Luizinho Falerio said.

A few of the computer teachers are undergraduates. So is a diploma in computer applications through a nearby institute enough to actually teach in a classroom environment?

"To classify them as teachers is not possible, simply because we consider a lot of factors including the ability to wield control in a real classroom environment," says Umesh Joshi, former headmaster of Kasturba High School.Most of the principals are not sure of the teaching abilities of these contract teachers.

"Our students seemed to have problems with the teachers quiet often," said the principal of a Panaji-based school.

When this unique concept "" a move that was supposed to make Goa IT literate "" was started, it was limited only to the higher secondary level, awarding the contract to a private firm, ICS. However, the BJP-government headed by the technocrat politician, Manohar Parrikar extended the programme in all the government-aided secondary schools in Goa. The Parrikar-government outsourced to a firm called ACES.

During the Parrikar-regime, the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary has issued instructions that all the educational institutions will have to follow a CLP syllabus and textbooks prescribed by the Goa Board.

"This academic year, the Goa Board has specified that the textbooks followed by the ACES should no longer be adhered to. As per the programme two practical classes and two theory classes are required to be held every week of duration of 35-40 minutes each," sources in the Education Department said.

Charges have also been leveled against the Parrikar, who has been accused of favoritism on the computer teachers' issue. As per the contract, highly placed sources claimed that the company hired several hundred youths, giving them a crash course in computer applications and spawned them out to schools across Goa. "Each recruit was paid Rs 2,500 per month, which has remained unchanged over the years," sources informed.

Supporting the contract teachers, Vijaykumar Kavikar, principal of People's High School said, "IT-sector has ample of opportunities and the government must give priority to the IT education. These teachers are good enough and the government should renew their contracts." He felt there was 'no co-ordination' between the Education Department and the Goa Board. Both need to take each other into confidence in planning out such schemes, he added.

Even accepting a teaching job in colleges is on lecture basis. "What job security could I have?" question Emma Cardozo, the joint-secretary of the All Goa Computer Teachers Association. "The lure of regularisation kept us teachers at their posts. We were given to understand that we would be confirmed as regular teachers," she said.

However, the technocrat politician Manohar Parrikar passed the buck on the Pratapsingh Rane-government saying that the Congress-led government should consider their (computer teachers) problems sympathetically and recruits them on regular basis.

"Our (BJP) government had commenced the process to regularize these computer teachers, but work could not be completed due to the political turmoil," former CM Parrikar claimed.

"Getting them gainfully employed would be my first priority," says Faleiro. Many of them are on contract basis for the last 7-8 years and taking them back in service is not mentioned in the tender floated for a new contract on computer education in schools, during the President's Rule.

"I have asked for the files and the decision will be taken after studying the entire matter," the Education Minister said.