Govt rejects GU’s no practicals for FY science plan

PANAJI: The Goa University’s controversial decision to knock off practicals for the first-year science students has been turned down by the state government.
After the university decision, the state government held consultations with the principals of colleges to seek their opinions. All the principals said that practicals should continue in the interest of the science students.
“The government took a view and informed the university to continue with practicals,” a senior officer said. The issue was regarding workload and after discussing with stakeholders and university the issue was resolved.
Though the university’s board of studies proposed the syllabus by including practical components in addition to theory lectures for the first year science students, the university insisted that the practical component should be dropped from the syllabus.
This move of the Goa University drew the teaching community’s ire as the NEP stresses on practical training.
The Goa University was firm on its stand of not including the practicals for first year science students until the academic council meeting on May 6. Considering the stand-off between the teaching community and the Goa University, the government intervened.
A principal, from a reputed college in Tiswadi, who did not want to be named, said that there should be practicals for first year science students. “When we speak about skill development, we cannot think of skill without practice.”
“While theory teaches the learner, ‘what and why’ of a concept; the practical component imparts tacit understanding of ‘how’. This ‘hands on’ experience enhances the skills as also the ability to have deeper understanding, comprehend new information and innovate. The bedrock objective of NEP being quality education that shall impart to the learner knowledge of relevance to real life situations and ‘problem solving skills’; mere theory at the entry point of a science graduate course will not suffice,” Manoj Borkar, associate professor of zoology, Carmel College, Nuvem, said.
“A practical component exposing a student to field and laboratory is an indispensable quintessential feature of any progressive science curriculum and any decision to do away with practicals at the entry point cannot be justified whatsoever,” Borkar said.