Goa: Education department gets fifth director in two years

PANAJI: On Wednesday, deputy director of education, Shailesh Zingade, was appointed as director of education on officiating basis. Serving director Bhushan Savaikar, an officer of the state civil services, has been transferred as secretary in the state information commission, sources said.
Savaikar had been appointed director of education only 10 months ago, in August 2021, after the retirement of his predecessor.
“Shailesh Zingade, deputy director of education, shall hold the charge of director, directorate of education, on officiating basis with immediate effect and until further orders,” said the department of personnel order.
Zingade was serving as central education zone deputy director with charge of north zone at present.
With a MSc-BEd degree, Zingade started as a higher secondary school teacher grade-I in the late 1980s and went on to be promoted to post of government high school headmaster and later assistant secretary of the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education.
He has been serving as deputy director of education since April 2012.
Over the last couple of years, no director of education has been able to complete a year in office.
Savaikar remained in office only for 10 months and was the fourth appointee to the post of director of education within a year.
His predecessors D R Bhagat and Santosh Amonkar, both spent only a few months in office as they were appointed as directors very close to their retirement.
Before Amonkar’s appointment, IAS officer Vandana Rao held the post. But she was transferred out following a controversial circular, which asked aided school managements to pay teachers’ salaries from their own funds due to delay in the state paying salaries.