http://oheraldo.in/node/10212
Free Transport, Books, Uniforms, Concession In Fees… Karwar schools face tough Goan contest BY FREDDY REBELLO POINGUINIM, FEB 22 — A signboard is displayed at the Goa-Karnataka check post at Polem. The message on the board reads 'Welcome to Goa'. That's fine for the tourists arriving to Goa from other States. But Goa seems to be luring the parents from Karwar to enroll their children to the Goan schools located at Loliem, the bordering region of Goa. The Karwar MLA Gangadhar Bhat has taken strong objections to the students migrating from Karwar schools to Goa and has called for a meeting with the concerned government authorities to arrest the exodus. And this move comes after a media report in Karavali Munjavu, a leading Kannada daily of Karwar. The allegations levelled are that the management of government aided schools at Loliem due to lack of students are luring the parents across the border with transport, free books, uniforms, and concession in fees to the children. And these doles are so given because the schools located at the sparsely populated Loliem village are unable to meet the desired students ratio as per the guidelines laid by the State government and fearing closure of the schools, the management is alleged to have decided to such tactics to lure the Karwari children to their schools and this practice is going on since the past four years. It was observed that over 150 students from Karwar are studying at the various schools at Loliem and are transported to and fro to Karwar in two mini buses that are jam-packed and also hold no valid permits. The drivers of these vehicles also do not hold the 'Batch' as desired by the law and no Conductor accompanies the children. When contacted Karwar MLA Gangadhar Bhat said that he has taken up the issue after he learnt about the same and said that the Karnataka government gives free mid-day meal to the students up to standard VIII. He was at loss of words as to why the students where opting for Goan schools. On the other side, parents of school going children from Karwar when contacted divulged that they preferred Goan schools because of the high standard of education and also of the doles that included jobs in the Goa government. It seems like a turnaround in the situation. Before Liberation of Goa from the Portuguese rule it was found that many people from Goa were studying in Karwar schools and there were no protests. The Indian Constitution guarantees a child the right to education in any part of the country but here a issue is likely to be snowballing and because of the doles. A social activist from Loliem quipped that it was Charles Darwins theory — Survival of the fittest. -- TUMCHER AXIRVAD ASSUM; DEV BOREM KORUM. Gabe Menezes. London, England
