PANAJI
It has been nearly eight years since the idea of Cultural Merit Marks for students was first proposed, yet it remains a distant dream. Introduced in 2017 to recognise and encourage students’ participation in cultural activities, officials concede that the absence of a State Cultural Policy has hindered its progress.
The introduction of merit marks for school and higher secondary students was initially planned for the academic year 2017-18 but has faced repeated delays in each subsequent academic term. While no progress has been made in the past two academic years, official sources indicate that the Directorate of Art and Culture will likely remind the government to finalise the policy. Approval of this policy is essential for its implementation as, currently, a cultural policy drafted in 2007 remains in use.
“Once the cultural policy is finalised, the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, as its implementing agency, will need to complete a series of procedures before introducing the scheme in schools. Committees within the board, such as the academic council, will need to finalise the processes for allocating the marks,” sources stated.
Goa Board Chairman Bhagirath Shetye was unavailable for comment.
The policy, proposed by the Department of Art and Culture, identified 30 art forms eligible for merit mark consideration. The plan envisioned awarding these marks to students from Classes IX to XII. As per details shared with the media earlier, the Cultural Merit Marks scheme aims to encourage students to engage in cultural activities by rewarding their participation with merit marks, which would appear on their marksheets.
In its early stages, the government proposed that participation in cultural events organised by institutions such as Kala Academy, Ravindra Bhavan, Goa Konkani Academy, Goa Marathi Academy, and Rajiv Kala Mandir would qualify students for merit mark allocation.
