Amid outbreak, Goa CM says online education not compulsory

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said online education was not compulsory though 11,000 teachers had been trained for it since the state did not have cent per cent connectivity nor do all children have smartphones.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said online education was not compulsory though 11,000 teachers had been trained for it since the state did not have cent per cent connectivity nor do all children have smartphones. After a meeting with education sector stakeholders, the CM said there were various options for school to conduct classes, including airing content on Doordarshan or private channels.

"There is no circular mentioning that online education is compulsory. All schools will have teach the entire syllabus without insisting on online education. We will take a decision on reopening schools after July 15 depending on the COVID-19 situation,' Sawant said. "Teachers will have to attend school from Wednesday onwards and start preparations so that time is not lost," he added.