PANAJI
For effective recognition of class under the National Education Policy (NEP), which is being implemented in the State in a phased manner, the Goa government will undertake physical restructuring of the schools cum educational institutions from 2028-29, onwards.
In a bid to facilitate the physical restructuring, the government, through the Education Department, will carry out mapping of schools, resources and infrastructure, shortly.
Secretary Education, IAS Prasad Lolayekar said that with State gearing up to complete NEP implementation by 2027-28, the physical restructuring, wherever required, would be undertaken from 2028-29 onwards. “Only once our academic restructuring is over we will move on to physical restructuring,” he said.
Sources informed that at present, there are standalone higher secondary schools with no attached high schools and there are schools where Class V is part of high school. Sources said that the State Level Committee has proposed restructuring at school level as per the NEP 2020 in a phased manner starting with foundation stage followed by preparatory stage, middle stage and secondary stage.
“Physical restructuring entails clubbing of classes in line with the stages defined in the NEP,” sources said, explaining that Class V is clubbed with Class III and IV, making it the preparatory stage, while IX is part of secondary stage.
Presently in Goa, Classes IX and X are considered as high schools or secondary stage whereas classes XI and XII are running in the Higher Secondary Schools.
According to the State Level Committee, constituted to guide the government on NEP implementation, the restructuring should be done in a phased manner so as to maintain continuity in the process. It opined that the schools that are, at present functioning only as primary schools to be converted either as schools for Foundational or Schools for Foundational and Preparatory (Nursery class to class V) or Schools for Preparatory only (class III to class V).
“Restructuring of the school may be initiated either by relocating, upgrading or collocating in the school complexes created for the ease of functionalities for all stages,” the Committee recommended.
The Committee also suggested that the Directorate of Education should make separate sections in their Directorate as per the stages proposed by NEP 2020 and each section should be headed by Dy Director of Education and Asst Director of Education.
