​Most Goan households love clay idols, now some are making their own as Ganesha idol-making workshops catch up in Goa

Times of India | 3 months ago | 27-08-2022 | 10:18 pm

​Most Goan households love clay idols, now some are making their own as Ganesha idol-making workshops catch up in Goa

The pandemic has taught people and families to be as self-sufficient and independent as possible, and continuing with this trend, many families have enrolled their younger ones for workshops, held across the state, to learn the art of making clay Ganesha idols. Works of Pure clayMost Goan households bring home clay idols, which are generally eco-friendly and safe. These workshops too encouraged the use of the same medium. “We ensured that the idols were made with pure clay, so that children understand its importance and how it is safe for the environment,” says Apeksha Nadkarni, who held workshops in Vasco and Panaji, with over 50 participants in attendance. The children too seem very enthusiastic to get their hands messy with clay, at these workshops, as Chaitali Morijkar notes, “I’ve always held clay modelling workshops in the past, but when I had the clay Ganesha idol workshop, I noticed a lot of spirit, enthusiasm and dedication among the kids. Many families believe in and worship Lord Ganesha and making his idol with their bare hands was something they found very fascinating. Hence the interest and dedication was apparent.” As part of the Green Ganesha Goa campaign held for kids below 16 years, Kajol Bandodkar held a similar workshop in Mapusa on August 21. “We organised a mud idol making workshop and the response was great, with around 66 participants. We had an expert who trained the young minds and taught them how a Ganesh idol is done, with step-by-step instructions,” says Kajol. Idols of worship, well some of themSeveral families plan their ganesha idols and book them from artisans in advance, but the fact that the children of their households have been working diligently on their art, is not gone into oblivion. Some want to proudly display their child’s handywork too! “Many families are excited about their children participating in workshops, and they plan on keeping the works of art at the worship site. Some plan to keep these clay idols alongside the family idol, as a token of appreciation for the hard work their kids have put in,” says Spana Kabra, who organised a workshop at Parra recently. Immunity building properties of clay make parents happySavita Naik, whose 10-year-old child enjoyed getting his hands dirty, hopes that the activity will help build her son’s immunity. “Post the pandemic, we have been very cautious about what and where our son goes and plays with. Over the last few months, I’ve noticed that he has been falling sick often, and this could be because his immunity is very weak. So we thought that getting his hands muddy might do him good.” Likewise, Manish Kerkar wanted his 12-year-old son to explore sculpting as an art form. “There is nothing better than attending classes where they teach the basics of working with clay and modelling it. Also, as it was for Ganesh Chathurti, he was excited to attend such classes.”

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Joblessness not just govt’s fault, colleges need skilling education: Goa CM Pramod Sawant
Times of India | 8 hours ago | 08-12-2022 | 04:40 pm
Times of India
8 hours ago | 08-12-2022 | 04:40 pm

PANAJI: Referring to the recent Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) report that has placed the unemployment rate in Goa at 13%, chief minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said that the state government cannot alone be held responsible for this. Among the unemployed are even engineering graduates, Sawant said, adding that institutes of higher education need to place more stress on introducing skilling courses for students, which they can undergo parallel to their graduate programmes. “You must have read that the unemployment rate in Goa is 13%. Who is responsible for it? Is it only the government that is responsible? If you see the unemployed, more than 70% are graduates. And not just BA, BCom, BSc, engineering students, too. I ask myself, why are those who have done engineering unemployed in Goa. At present, the requirement is skill education,” the CM said. He was speaking at a seminar organised by the Vidya Prabodhini College, in collaboration with the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Colleges need to change their courses based on the requirements of the times, Sawant said. “If we are unable to identify the present-day requirement, then the unemployment ratio will keep rising. In 2014, I started a small nursing and paramedical institute. From 2014 to 2021, around 800 students have passed out from the institute. It is a one-year course after Class XII, and I can proudly say that all the students are employed. When we speak of the National Education Policy, we need to take initiatives to introduce skill development courses parallelly,” said Sawant. He said colleges need to take initiative to have more interactions with the industry and understand their requirements and prepare students accordingly for the employment market. “Recently, the directorate of higher education and the directorate of skill development signed agreements with different industries, and we are taking several initiatives. There are principals from 64 colleges here. Only you can take the initiative to bring down the unemployment rate,” Sawant said. He said that the state government recently required a yoga therapist but could not find a sufficient number of qualified persons in Goa. The CM said that the state had invited applications for fellows for 13 positions, but only four joined, despite the honorarium of Rs 35,000 a month. Even at the National Institute of Watersports in Goa, only about 25% of the students are Goans. Colleges need to create more awareness about these areas where employment opportunities lie, Sawant said. Goa, besides its reputation as a tourist hotspot and IT industry hub, also needs to develop as an education hub, which is in line with the nature of Goans and their hospitality, Sawant said. Setting up of a sports university is also on the anvil, he said. Only 26 of 64 colleges NAAC accredited in Goa. In Goa, of the 64 institutions affiliated with the Goa University, which are under the purview of the directorate of higher education, only 26 institutions have been accredited by NAAC till date, said the CM and education minister. “I expect all institutes now will carry out the NAAC accreditation process. This will give a boost to our students to perform better,” he said.

Joblessness not just govt’s fault, colleges need skilling education: Goa CM Pramod Sawant
Meet govt school principal from Punjab giving wings to his students’ wish – flying in an airplane
The Indian Express | 19 hours ago | 08-12-2022 | 05:40 am
The Indian Express
19 hours ago | 08-12-2022 | 05:40 am

In a country where flying in an airplane remains an unfulfilled dream and a lifelong desire of children coming from families with humble backgrounds, here’s a government school principal from Punjab who is literally giving wings to this wish of his meritorious students.Three years ago, when Rakesh Sharma joined as the principal of Shaheed Gurdas Ram Memorial Government Senior Secondary School (Girls), in Zira of Ferozepur district, he noticed that the students from this school were not securing merit positions in Class X and XII board results. To boost their morale and motivate them to work hard for making it to the state merit list, he asked them their one wish which he would fulfill if they make it to the merit list. With most of them coming from underprivileged or middle class families, the students expressed they want ‘jahaaz da jhoota’ (airplane travel) if they pass their exams with flying colours.Agreeing to pay for their air tickets from his own pocket for any destination of their choice within the country, Sharma promised his students that he will fulfill their wish if they work hard and make it to the state merit list. Four girls from the school made it to the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) merit list this year – two each from Class X and XII.For Bhajanpreet Kaur and Simranjit Kaur – who secured merit rank in Class XII – it was a lifetime experience when they recently went to Goa from Amritsar via plane, thanks to their principal who kept his word and paid for their tickets.For both girls, it was an educational-cum-leisure tour, as they chose to go to Goa after Bhajanpreet’s project on “Deteriorating Soil Health due to Stubble Burning” was selected for INEX Expo-2022, organised by Goa State Innovation Council on November 18, and won bronze medal at Goa again.  Bhajanpreet Kaur, 18, whose father works as a ‘Granthi’ in a local gurdwara, said that for her the flying trip was a dream come true.“For students like us who come from lower middle class families, it only remains a dream to fly in a plane at least once in our lifetime. I am the only one from my family who got an opportunity to travel in a plane… Had our principal sir not sponsored our tickets, we might not have been able to go to Goa to participate in the national-level contest where my project also won the bronze prize and we got a chance to interact with judges who had come from other countries. Such an exposure for government school students is rare. My father earns around Rs 10,000 a month, and affording an air ticket is not possible for us otherwise,” said Bhajanpreet who had secured 98.4% in science stream in Class XII board exams and is now pursuing BSc physics. Both girls were accompanied by their teacher who went to Goa with them voluntarily. Simranjit Kaur, whose father works as a truck mechanic, said that sitting in a plane and watching earth from sky was a lifetime experience for her. “In our school, students mostly come from very poor families and they haven’t even travelled to Chandigarh or Delhi via train… so travelling in airplane is a dream which mostly remains a dream for life. After our principal sir announced that he will send us on plane if we get our names on the merit list, all of us started working hard to fulfill our wish and to secure a place on the merit list,” she said.Next, two students from Class X – Shital Sharma and Lakhvir Kaur – who had secured merit positions will be taking a flight for Delhi on December 25 for an educational trip. “Two teachers will be accompanying them and they will be shown education-related sites across the capital. We will also take care of their accommodation and other expenses during the tour,” principal Sharma said.The school principal said that he decided to take them on air travel after students themselves expressed their wish to fly during ‘Baal Sansad’ (Children’s Parliament) which is held in the school every month to discuss school-related issues. “For children who come from small villages with their parents working day and night to arrange two meals a day, sitting in a plane is not something that happens every day. They said that they want ‘jahaaz da jhoota’ (airplane tour) to which I agreed and told them to work hard and earn their wings. It was just a way to motivate them for better results,” said Sharma.

Meet govt school principal from Punjab giving wings to his students’ wish – flying in an airplane
Goa Institute of Management breaches into Elite B-school grouping
Times of India | 1 day ago | 07-12-2022 | 09:45 pm
Times of India
1 day ago | 07-12-2022 | 09:45 pm

With the placement season rolling out, students from higher education institutions across the country hope to make it big and strike a chance to get the job of their dreams. The placement season at Goa Institute of Management (GIM) is almost reaching an end and has had quite a vibrant start. The placement season at GIM rolled out in September and is estimated to end later this month. This year, a new record has been set as core Post-Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) student, Harshita Banthia, bagged a package of 55 LPA. Harshita says, “Getting placed in Microsoft is a dream come true. The high quality and high standard work culture apart from the challenging projects will not only help me grow technically but would also help me challenge myself as an individual, giving me a head start in the corporate world. I owe a huge part of this accomplishment to GIM. The case-based pedagogy here has helped in building critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The rigorous interview preparation sessions take care of the nitty-gritty of the interviews including the framework and scenarios." ''GIM has been invariably at the forefront of industry excellence when it comes to their students' well-being and education. We encourage our students to bear the torch of conscious leadership and excel in their career paths. Like every year, we have seen tremendous growth in our recruiters' portfolio and placements this year too'', said Dr. Ajit Parulekar, Director of GIM.

Goa Institute of Management breaches into Elite B-school grouping
1,800 Canacona students go without midday meal
Times of India | 1 day ago | 07-12-2022 | 11:11 am
Times of India
1 day ago | 07-12-2022 | 11:11 am

CANACONA: Nearly 1,800 students in schools in Canacona’s Agonda and Khola panchayats have been deprived of the midday meal facility from October 1 after the self-help group (SHG) providing the meals found it uneconomical to continue with the service. Assistant district education inspector (ADEI), Canacona, Lawrence Pereira, who confirmed the development, told TOI that a letter from Omkar SHG, which provided the meals to schools in these areas, has been sent to the department and that the department is exploring alternatives to address the situation. “The government is aware that the rate offered to SHGs is not sufficient, but has not paid heed to our repeated demands to raise the amount. As it was not economically viable to supply meals, we had no other alternative but to discontinue,” said Sandhya Dessai, who runs the SHG. She said that Omkar SHG along with Surbhi, Astha and Shivam SHGs were awarded contracts to provide midday meals in various schools of Canacona. However, Surbhi and Shivam SHGs discontinued the service four years ago citing rise in rates and other technical difficulties. Following this, Omkar and Astha were the only SHGs supplying the midday meal with Omkar catering to 2,900 students, and Astha 1,700 students, Dessai said. Dessai’s SHG continues to provide midday meals to schools in Poinguinim and Loliem-Polem panchayats. Previously, the government had fixed a rate of Rs 5.1 per student from Classes I to IV, and Rs 6.6 per student from Classes V to VIII. These rates were revised to Rs 6.11 and Rs 7.45 per student, respectively, with effect from 2014, Dessai said. SHGs used to supply bhaji pao, sheera, khichdi and pulao dishes, but this year the department of education revised the menu to include idlis, bhaji, pulao, chickpeas or moong, while pao was replaced with chapatis. Dessai said the rates of all these items have increased and hence it was not economically viable to continue with the service at the present rates. Besides the expense related to food items, she said that she has to sustain staff and transportation of the food. “Each of the four vehicles hired to transport the meals is paid Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 depending on the distance and the area they have to cover. Besides this, I use my own vehicle to take the food to schools in Marlim and Tirval,” Dessai said, adding that her 11 women staff are paid Rs 300 per day.

1,800 Canacona students go without midday meal