Now, Borda govt school students stage protest, boycott classes over abrupt teacher transfers

After the students of Valpoi, Pernem, and Sanguem govt higher secondary schools protested last week the abrupt removal of contractual teachers mid-term, on Monday, students of Govt Higher Secondary School, Borda, Margao held a protest.On Sep 4, chief minister Pramod Sawant had urged students of govt higher secondary schools not to protest, stating that no disruptions will be allowed due to the teacher rejig, Students of the Borda school said they have seen new teachers appointed mid-academic year.Sawant, who also holds the education portfolio, had said that the contractual teachers were being removed from higher secondary schools as permanent teachers recruited were being given postings in these schools instead. But he had assured that the transfer of contractual teachers would be stopped in the interest of students.However, the Borda students said that their teachers stand withdrawn from the school. They said that teachers of other subjects are taking up science classes. The students said even when new teachers come this will adversely affect them academically.'Why couldn't this change have been made later. They could have continued with the existing arrangement till the end of the academic year. We are well-adjusted to the existing teachers. They know individual student needs. It will take time for the new teacher to understand each student's requirements. We stand to lose out from this sudden change,' said the students, protesting outside their school in Borda, Margao.The students shouted slogans of 'we want justice' and boycotted their classes in protest.The students said that some of the teachers appointed were not on a par with their earlier teachers.Police personnel from Fatorda station had been deployed at the protest site.A member of the parent-teacher association Camillo Baretto said that the PTA was not consulted before making the change.'They have removed lecture-based teachers across streams. There are three to four months left now for the academic year and there was no need to remove the teachers at this stage. The lecture based teachers had a good rapport with the students due to which they could learn better and that is why the students are upset. The education department could have appointed the new teachers a few months later. There was no need to disturb the arrangement,' said Baretto.