Education in Goa – An Introduction
Goa – The biodiversity hotspot of India. Goa is the smallest state in terms of area and the largest states in terms of per capita GDP of the country. It was previously a Portuguese province which was annexed by India in 1961. It is the most favoured tourist destination the world over due to its beaches, places of worship and world heritage architecture. The population of Goa is 1.46 million of which the male population comprises 50.69% males and 49.31% females. The literacy rate is 88.70% of which the male literacy is 92.65% and the female literacy is 82.16%. The sex ratio is 973 females per 1000 males which is above the national average of 940.
School Education in Goa
The Directorate of Education deals with the organisation, development and regulation of school education in the state of Goa. The education structure of the state consists of pre-primary, primary secondary and higher secondary education. Goa has 1,229 aided, unaided and Government primary schools, 69 aided, unaided and government middle schools, 395 aided, unaided and government high schools and 92 higher secondary schools. The remarkable feature of the ASER report of 2012-13 for Goa is that the school dropout ration on attaining the age of 15-16 years was negligible in comparison to other states where the trend shows a severe decline in the dropout ratio. The distribution of children in government and private institutions were equal which signifies the reach of government schools and their quality of education imparted. English is the main medium of education in Goa.
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Schools in Goa follow the state examination board, but the private institutions follow the CBSE and the ICSE/ISC board curriculum and examinations. The Goa board has made it compulsory to study seven subjects in the higher secondary level enabling its students to compete at the national level examinations for higher education. The students are more focussed to the core subjects of their niche specialisation.
Higher Education in Goa
Goa is among 14 states that have better access to higher education than the national average of 12.14. It has 24.59 institutions of higher education available for its every population of one lakh in the age bracket of 18 to 23. As per the report of the University Grants Commission the quality of higher education in Goa has much room for improvement, but as far as access to education is concerned it is much above the national average. 13% of Goa’s young population are enrolled in colleges. The state government has facilitated accessibility of higher education and the concentration is not just city based. Financial affordability of education has also been enabled by the government. The fee structure has been kept at an affordable level and various scholarships, interest free loans and schemes are provided to students aspiring for higher education. Goa has 25 affiliated Colleges and recognised institutions, 32 affiliated professional colleges and recognised institutions, 23 affiliated technical colleges and recognised institutions, 7, technical schools, 25 special schools 22 open schools for its students aspirants for the various streams. Industry interface, and job prospects are fairly available due to the presence of industries and thriving tourism industry. The government is also very focussed on the upliftment of education in the state.
Education in Goa – Future
Education in Goa is on the overdrive and is better than many states of the nation in terms of availability, encouragement and infrastructure. The importance of education existed from the colonial days and its importance even today reflects by the literacy rate prevalent in the state. The future of education in Goa is on the upswing.