PANAJI: The proposal of the state government to start evening colleges in order to provide easy degree education to working people, who could not complete their education for various reasons, is likely to become a reality from the coming academic year (2017-18), as the drafting of the scheme for the purpose, by the directorate of higher education is in the final stage.
According to the proposal, the government has already decided to permit the opening of four evening colleges – two each in north and south district – which will also aim at accommodating the surplus students, who would be seeking admissions to the undergraduate courses. Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has already made a provision of Rs 20 lakh for the purpose during his last year budget.
Though the state of Goa is among the top few states in the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education with around 26.4 per cent, the state government endeavours to raise the GER to at least the level of 40 per cent and in pursuance of this vision, the government had proposed to introduce a concept of evening colleges.
When asked about the proposal, director of higher education Bhaskar Nayak informed this daily that the scheme is being drafted by the department and once it gets the financial approval, it will be notified. He said that the idea is to provide accessibility of higher education to working people so that they obtain degree education.
He said that four evening colleges will be started in the first phase, on an experimental basis, in existing colleges, which have good infrastructural facilities. “We still have two months to finalise the scheme and complete the other procedures and I am hopeful that the concept to introduce four evening colleges would become a reality from the coming academic year,” Nayak said.
According to him, the directorate of higher education will seek proposals from desiring colleges, and the same would be considered subject to availability of adequate teaching faculty as well as infrastructural facilities.
The director of higher education also informed that the syllabus for the evening colleges will be finalised simultaneously and could include some part from regular college’s syllabus while some from online, on which educationists will work on. He also clarified that this scheme will be applicable not only for government colleges but even private institutions running colleges will be eligible to start the evening colleges.