The much-awaited interest-free laptops for teachers would now be made available from September onwards with a modification in the scheme of paying the loan amount in five years instead of the previous ten.
Sources said the decision was taken in a meeting held last week. Around 5,000 teachers would benefit from the scheme which will be implemented through the Goa Education Development Corporation (GEDC).
Education officials said the decision for reducing the loan-repayment period was taken because it was felt after the implementation of the VIth Pay Commission recommendation salaries of teachers had gone up.
The government will sanction Rs 40,000 for the laptops and if any teacher desires to go for a model higher than this price then he/she would have to cough up the additional amount.
The officials said laptops would help teachers train their students in a more effective manner by showing presentations. Under the new scheme titled Smart Class of the Directorate of Education teachers will have to make use of technology to teach their students, they stated.
Teachers who have completed three years in the profession and those with at least five years left for retirement can avail of the scheme.
Schools’ registration: In another decision at the same meeting, the government has decided to keep on hold mandatory registration of pre-primary schools and implementation of uniform syllabus until next academic year. This decision was prompted because guidelines for the functioning and syllabus of these schools are not ready, sources said.
According to them, rules would be framed first and then the registration and regulation parts would be gradually streamlined from next academic year.
The government had notified the scheme making it mandatory for pre-primary schools to register with the Directorate of Education. It was also meant to regulate pre-primary schools by bringing them under a uniform syllabus.
Sources said experts are being roped in to frame the necessary guidelines for functioning of these schools that will be surveyed from December 2009 to March next year.
In the recent assembly session the opposition had criticised the government for the lack of such guidelines in the absence of which it was not possible to regulate these pre-primary schools.
Source : http://www.oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=26118&cid=2
