Will Chowgule College close HSS? Cause for worry

Concerned about the consequences of the proposed intent of Smt Parvatibai Chowgule College (SPCC) management to close its Higher Secondary Section, the Goa state education department decided to contact the Chowgule college management. The idea is to resolve the confusion over the admission of Class XI science students for the current academic year.

In May, the directorate of education had issued a letter to the college asking it to begin admissions to Class XI. The college was expected to accept an intake of 200 students for Class XI. However, currently the college has admitted a little over 100 students.

Chowgule Education Society (CES) had filed a petition seeking to close its higher secondary section (HSS) to ease the infrastructure constraints on the college towards channelizing its resources to achieve its higher education goals. Margao's SP Chowgule College is the oldest institution providing instruction in Arts and Science streams up to the degree and post graduate level in the state of Goa.

However, the high court of Bombay at Goa rejected the petition on grounds of safeguarding the interest of the student community. This year, about 4,000 additional students have cleared the Class X results of the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. The state is trying to accommodate these additional students in higher secondary institutes.

According to sources at the directorate of education, CES is sending fresh application to close the HSS.