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Tri Continental Film Festival 2008
July 25 - 30, 2008
Goa, India
http://www.moviesgoa.org/page/tri_continental/
http://www.moviesgoa.org/tricon/schedule_2008.pdf
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In an inconclusive debate whether a) The Goa University should accept the Union
Governments proposal for upgradation to the Central University status alongwith
two others in MP and Chattisgarh in the XI V year Plan or b) maintain its
present status as a State of Goa University; there were several unanswered
questions that put the select gathering mainly of students faculty members of
the teaching fraternity and some NGO's that assembled at the Institute Menezes
Braganza Hall today 30th July, 2008 at 1707 hrs under a newly christened forum
Citizens(of Goa) Initiative into suspicion and doubt.
The speakers for the proposition were Seby Rodrigues activist (recently branded
by ex CM and now leader of the Opposition Mr Manohar Parrikar as a Naxalite)
Jatin Naik(Adv) and student GU, Prof. Aureliano Fernandes, Prof Rafael
Fernandes.
The proponents observations for a central university status stemmed from the
fact that:
a) the concept that the State of Goa University would lose prime land was a
figment of imagination of the opponents; as the Central Universities do not
take claim of the land but the same remains with the State
b) the exhorbitant fees for studies in the GU even for the humanities was the
prima causa for the low number of students in the several Departments notably
French, Portuguese, Philosophy Centre for Latin American studies to name just a
few; (except in Chemistry Commerce Computer Sc Physics and Konkani (in
devanagari script to name a few)as compared to the fee structure of the
Jawaharlal Nehru University which is nearly a tenth lower than the GU
c) opening the University for a student mix and faculty mix would widen the
horizons of learning
d) the fear that students from Goa will not be able to seek admissions due to
competitiveness at all India level was again believed to be a figment of
imagination as according to one proponent Goa University students fared the
best in TOEFL exam
e) the pittance that the GU gets from the state Government which is in the
range of 5 to 9 crores ( in 2007-08 hiked as most of it is spent on protracted
litigation ) as compared to the funds that will flow once accorded Central
University status.
f) the avowed policy of the erstwhile Portuguese regime which was to "teach the
rich" that has percolated post liberation to be the policy of the GU set up in
1985 which the Central University status will reverse and make it accessible to
the poor as well.
g) that a central University status in a state with a lone university of Goa
would deprive the locals according to them is incorrect as safeguards can be
provided for ensuring a certain percentage of seats for the locals from Goa as
is done by the UT of Pondicherry, and the seven sisters the North Eastern
states of Nagaland etc;
h) if the Executive and Academic Council are constituted of proper well meaning
persons who will do justice to the field of education there is no fear of the
University doing the bidding of the politicians as is the present case with the
Goa University
i) what was thought suitable in 1984 need not necessarily mean that one should
have a fossilised thinking and not be receptive to change in the fast changing
global environment;
The Opponents of giving GU a Central status were Dr Jayant Budkuley ex
Registrar of GU, Dr Uday Barad, Prof B D Desai and this stemmed from the fact
according to them
a) that the issue of the Goa University either being a State University or
Central University was well settled in 1984 that it would be a State University
and hence there ought to be no change for it would deprive students from the
mofussil areas to the seats of learning
b) in the situation of just one University in the state there is no guarantee
that a Central University will fit in the aspirations of the State
c) that 90% of the present seats available to students from Goa in GU will be
open for competition once granted a Central University
d) State government will lose its perogative of setting policy goals and
perogative of the Government in nominations to the various bodies as it does at
present
e) for the sake of saving the present 16 crores budget to the GU ( a debatable
figure though ) given by the State Government the Central University offer of a
higher amount does not justify the same if our say in matters of the University
are lost
f) handing over 4000 crores assets of GU funded from scratch by the State
Government to the Central University is a misnomer given that those from under
privileged class and rural will suffer
g) faculty drawn from outside the State will not necessarily enhance quality
education. A committed faculty is the need of the hour as even the present
ratio of teaching staff from outside the state appears to be on the higher side
as of now;
h) enhancement of retirement age for Vice Chancellor to 70 years and to
teaching staff to 65 years should not be the bait for a Central university
status
i) states like Goa Sikkim etc which are small and have just one University
should not be accorded Central Unviersity status
j) no doubt the emoluments will stand hiked as it is Goa University has
benefitted from Central scales owing to Goa's UT status hence only a few
additional allowances should not make one succumb to the Central university
status.
k) there was no transperancy in preparing the proposal mooted by the Vice
Chancellor GU, the Head of the Directorate of Higher Education (fall guy ) and
the CM the (fence sitter ) at the dictates of the PM why was the Academic and
Executive council of GU not taken in confidence to discuss the issue threadbare?
l) even now is it possible that without the GU Act 1984 presently in force
being abrogated can an ordinance by the Central Government conferring the
Central University overide the Act?
Three special guest speakers Mr Ajit Shirodkar Prof Newman Fernandes Principal
of Xaviers College Mapusa and Prof Afonso felt that what was primarily needed
to be debated is a) whether the GU as it is today is imparting the knowledge to
its students or is it going to improve in the future? Of the 9000 students
that pass the XII (higher secondary school exams) in Goa nearly 1000 get into
professional colleges and the others in the 22 colleges while the GU
accomodates 1017 students of which most are from his college. In fact yet
another debatable issue is what an ideal University should be like ? what
infrastructure teaching facility needs to be provided?
It is clear that both the proponents had apparently raised useful points for
debate but what the gathering concluded was that there was a lot of bankruptcy
on the actual pros and cons of what a Central University would provide. It was
therefore felt by the Moderator Prof M S Kamat there could not be any vote for
or against and the general consensus was for a far wider debate.
Mr Floriano Lobo the Event Manager proposed the vote of thanks. Mr Miguel
Braganza was also present
Sidelights of the event:
a) surprisingly all of the opponents were upper caste Brahmins, while the
proponents of the Central University were from the minority and Bahujan Samaj
community remarked a member of the audience
b) according to one of the Opponents who spoke to this writer it is the idea of
the Vice Chancellor and a Prof from the Centre for Latin Studies that has
mooted the idea for Central status when the PM came to inaugurate the BITS
Pilani complex at Zuarinagar;
c) there was a personal attack on the ex Registrar of the GU by a proponent of
the Central University when the ex Registrar is reported to have created an
aggravating bureaucratic delay to his disertion while a student; the
ex-Registrar preferred to clarify the issue after the function
d) Mr Manuel Caldeira an expartriate from Chandor put up exhibits to show the
influx of Non Goans the social engineering that is taking place with the covet
blessings of the 40 elected representatives of the GU.
e) it is clear that all is not well with the GU there is a need to have an
indepth investigations into -- i) whether the GU is a sacred institution for
teaching or a white elephant dying a slow death.
f) many of those present preferred that the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee
committee constituted to look into the pros and cons should come out clearly on
the issue notwithstanding a leak in the news media today that the state
government favours continuance of GU as a state university
from the Institute Menezes Braganza Hall
GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES,
BORDA, MARGAO, 403 602, GOA. (INDIA)
+91 98221 58584 (24 HRS)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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