PANAJI: The Goa Pradesh Committee (GPCC) members on Monday courted arrest demanding apology by the director of education, who reportedly told them to "get out" from her office.
The incident occurred when 10-member party delegation comprising Youth Congress president Varad Mardolkar, Mahila Congress president Pratima Coutinho, GPCC general secretary Janardhan Bhandari and others had gone to meet director of education Vandana Rao to demand that the government release salaries of the primary teachers as well as non-teaching staff of North zone and the Central zone.
During the discussion, the director of education is learnt to have told them to 'get out' from her office. This annoyed the Congress delegation, who staged demonstrations outside her office demanding apology by the officer even as the Porvorim police whisked them away. Later, the police arrested the protestors and released them on personal bond.
The delegation had gone to meet the director of education to discuss delay in releasing salaries of primary teachers and non-teaching staff of North zone and the Central zone and also to oppose the government’s decision to stop vocational courses in higher secondary schools across Goa from the next academic year.
During the meeting, the director of education told them the delay in releasing salaries was due to technical problem and told them that the salaries would be released within next two to three days. She also told them that the government had not taken any decision to close down vocational courses in the higher secondary schools.
Condemning the arrest of Congress members, Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat said that heads of department should have cordial approach towards delegations which call on them with issues of public interest. "Rude behaviour of Education Director with @GoaPMC President @adv_coutinho & @INCGoa delegation unexpected. Bureaucracy needs to be sensitive. @INCGoa @goacm," Kamat tweeted.
GPCC president Girish Chodankar said that any unilateral decision to stop vacational courses will hinder the development of the younger generation’s skill set. "Instead of creating employment for our local youth, this government is interested in taking unilateral decisions against their interest, creating more and more joblessness. We request the government to spell out their intentions clearly as to why they want to stop these vocational courses all of sudden after almost 32 years. This will not only cause several problems for over 250 odd teaching and non teaching staff, but to over 4000 students every year who admit themselves to different vocational streams in standard XI,” Chodankar said, in his ongoing tirade against the government.