Teachers responsible when double graduates find it hard to get work: CM

Panaji: CM Pramod Sawant on Wednesday, while inaugurating the Rs 8 crore ‘Ahilya’ girls hostel block in the Govt College complex at Khandola, said he holds teachers responsible when there are youths holding dual degrees but are without employment. He said the state is investing heavily in education infrastructure, and the true returns will be in the form of students who crack competitive exams, make it to national sports platforms, and become entrepreneurs.

“Teachers need to think out of the box. Traditional education in BA, BCom, BSc is widely available now. Teachers are teaching these programmes, students are completing their degrees and then these students are sitting unemployed at home. They say I am a double graduate. And they are waiting for the job to come to them. I ask what were the teachers doing all this while. Is the teachers’ job only to teach what is in the books?” said Sawant.

He said a person came to him offering individual AI-based tutoring for students and said that such technology will make teaching in the classroom redundant unless teachers go beyond textbooks.

“Govt is appointing so many teachers, it is also to counsel the students and help them become self-employed. I appreciate teachers, but for the last seven years as education minister and the chief minister, I have been seeing that the work of telling students what to do after completing their studies is not being done. Your job is not to only create graduates. A teacher’s job is to orient students towards their career,” said Sawant.

“If each teacher takes responsibility for 10 students, the unemployment issue in the state will be resolved. I don’t want you to say that your achievement is A+ NAAC accreditation. I want you to say my student has won accolades at the national level in badminton, and my students have cracked the UPSC exam,” said Sawant.

The CM said the Ahilya hostel block can accommodate 56 female students. “Such facilities are being provided to help girls from rural areas. From Quepem to Sakhali, we are creating these hostels in all govt colleges across Goa with assistance from govt of India. Two have been completed and third will be completed soon,” Sawant added.