Wonderful idea - not a day too soon.With prayers and good wishes for success Gilbert D'souzagpdstjos...@aol.com
-----Original Message----- From: Goanet Reader <goanetrea...@gmail.com> To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! <goa...@goanet.org> Sent: Thu, Jun 3, 2021 2:13 am Subject: [Goanet-News] Goa initiative plans an online learning cafe, starting in the pandemic PANJIM, June 3: As the pandemic hits education hard, a seed has been planted to promote an online, informal centre for career, life-long learning and hobby courses in Goa. Called the Collaborative Learning Cafe, this is an initiative of friends of Jesuits of the Goa Province and is being launched this weekend, on Saturday, June 5, at 6.30. pm. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Anthony (Tino) de Sa, retired from the IAS, will deliver the inaugural speech titled _A Career in the IAS: Prospects and Challenges_. This is meant to also guide and inspire youth who might be thinking of a career in the Civil Services. Dr Rita Paes, Director of Nirmala Institute of Education, will chair the session. Initially being launched through the online mode, the plan is to also have real-world classes when needed, and the situation permits. The classes will be focused on imparting useful knowledge and skills rather than formal qualifications. It aims to encourage life-long learning, build job-oriented and careers skills, upgrade skills regardless of age barriers, promote short-term courses, and build role models for the youth of Goa. The route to attain this would be to tap the skills of veterans willing to share their knowledge, and encourage networking people with similar interests or hobbies, according to Frederick Noronha. The Provincial of the Goa Jesuits has lent full support to this initiative, stressing the role of education to grow "productive, caring, and sharing citizens" and also to foster peace and harmony among all people. Content generated will be available for free download. This goal was on the planning board of the Jesuits -- who have run community colleges in Chennai, Belgaum, and elsewhere. Oddly enough, the pandemic made the online mode more accessible, allowing for the plans to materialize. Offers for assistance have come in, said Merwin D'Souza SJ, who is the Goa Jesuit Province Development Director and has been overseeing the implementation of the project with Program Coordinator, Savio Dias. Plans for the immediate future include technical trainings, home science, a talk on astronomy, soft skills (personality development, communication, languages), teacher-focused programmes, theology and scripture. Anthony (Tino) de Sa will offer first-hand insights into the Civil Services, the responsibilities and mandate of the IAS, the career path and challenges of its members, and how one aspires to get into the service. Besides Mr de Sa's talk on careers in the IAS this weekend, language trainer Fr. Dr. Pratap Naik SJ (B.Sc, B.Ed, MA-Linguistics, MPhil-Ling, PhD-Ling) has a series of ten 90-minutes sessions between June 6 to 16 titled an "Introduction to Konknni" These talks will look at Konkani vowels and consonants; greetings and common expressions; days of the weeks, names of months and numbers; basic grammar, construction of simple sentences; and a modified Roman script orthography. The response to the plans has been very encouraging, with slots getting filled within hours of the first announcements. Plans are however afoot to enhance the number of slots available, while a live stream of the programme is also being arranged via the site collaborativelearningcafe.org the organisers announced. To connect with this weekend's programme, visit collaborativelearningcafe.org or WhatsApp +91 76193 99507 The response to the plans has been very encouraging, with slots getting filled within hours of the first announcements. Plans are however afoot to enhance the number of slots available, while a live stream of the programme is also being arranged via the site collaborativelearningcafe.org the organisers announced. To connect with this weekend's programme, visit collaborativelearningcafe.org or WhatsApp +91 76193 99507 ###