Panaji: Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday that while students have the right to protest against the NEET paper leaks, the way the protest was conducted and the language used were “not fit for students”. He referred to a protest at Azad Maidan in the state capital, where placards were displayed seeking the release of jailed activist Umar Khalid, and said there was a need to “awaken nationalism” among students so they do not disturb communal harmony.“We recently saw the NEET protests. It is their right to protest as students. But the manner in which the protest was carried out, the kind of actions and language used, should not be the actions or the language of today’s students. We need to question why this is happening,” Sawant said while addressing teachers to mark six years of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP).He questioned why a student protest related to NEET included placards in support of Umar Khalid. “Everything else is fine. Who is Umar Khalid? You asked for a resignation, and Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, taking responsibility. Umar Khalid has connections with Afzal Guru, who carried out attacks on Parliament. Should placards seeking his release be shown in a student protest? Why? Placards are being shown on Azad Maidan in Goa seeking his release. Who are these people? We need to awaken our students or else this will disturb our communal harmony,” he said.Sawant said such protests supporting “anti-national persons” had not been seen earlier in Goa. “When I think of Vikasit Bharat, this thought troubles me. You specifically watch the videos. We need to share our views with the students. NEP implementation is not only about giving degrees. We need to shape cultured and nationalist students, who can decide their future and will be ready to offer themselves to the country,” he said, and added, “Whatever views I have expressed here must be discussed by you all (academics). Do not only discuss syllabus. We need to discuss nationalist views, only then can we implement NEP in the real sense.”The chief minister said teachers in Goa have direct access to 2.9 lakh students and that they are best placed to help reshape students’ thinking. He said that while technology may replace many jobs, it cannot replace teachers.Sawant also said a foundation stone would soon be laid at the Goa University campus for a complex to house six new buildings for govt professional colleges, including pharmacy and architecture. He added that govt would focus on solid waste management in schools, including responsible processing of e-waste.
