The Goa Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has received a total of 2,063 applications for 390 government primary school teacher vacancies, resulting in an average of approximately five candidates competing for each post. The recruitment drive includes positions for Konkani and Marathi teachers, with 437 applications for Konkani teacher posts and 1,626 for Marathi teacher posts.
This recruitment initiative comes at a time when the state government is addressing a decline in enrolment in government primary schools, a trend attributed to falling student numbers. According to the Union Education Ministry's Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) report for 2024-25, the number of students enrolled in private unaided schools in Goa has, for the first time, surpassed the number studying in government-run schools.
The UDISE report reveals that 41,146 students are now enrolled in Goa's private unaided recognised institutions, compared to 35,974 students in government schools. Goa has 773 government schools, from primary to higher secondary level, which is nearly five times the number of private unaided schools, which stand at 141. However, the highest number of students remains enrolled in the 558 privately run aided schools, with a total strength of 2,18,183 students.
Shift in Student Enrolment Patterns
There has been a visible shift of students from aided to unaided schools. Most private unaided schools are affiliated with central boards such as ICSE and CBSE. Additionally, Goa has 4,464 students enrolled in five Kendriya Vidyalayas and 779 students in two Navodaya Vidyalayas, both central government-run school systems.
Of the 141 private unaided schools in Goa, 99 are exclusively primary-level institutions, while the remaining schools also have upper primary, secondary, and higher secondary sections. The previous UDISE report for 2023-24 recorded 40,810 students in private unaided schools, a number that has since increased. During the same period, enrolment in government-aided schools declined from 2.2 lakh in 2023-24 to 2.1 lakh in the latest report.
Government's Appeal to Parents
This trend appears to support Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's statement about a gradual shift of students from government-aided to private schools. At the official Teachers' Day event, Sawant appealed to parents to admit children to government-run and government-aided schools. He emphasized that many government and aided schools have better infrastructure and teachers with the latest training compared to some private schools.
