Joblessness not just govt’s fault, colleges need skilling education: Goa CM Pramod Sawant
Times of India | 9 hours ago | 08-12-2022 | 04:40 pm
Times of India
9 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.