Message: 10 Selma>>> I was most impressed by your letter re instruction and learning. In your opinion and experience in these matters, which school would you recommend in Goa? I am looking for a school which emphasises learning with a liberal bent.
Dear Selma, Per se, I wouldn't recommend any school in Goa for the objectives you have in mind. Most of the schools in Goa revolve round the Board they are affiliated to and getting through the exams is a be all and end all of the schools. The competition in pass percentages is fierce. Schools are not judged by the quality of student but rather by the pass percentage. In the 70's, there was a school in Calangute called "Happy Learners" which was started by a breakaway group of teachers from Don Bosco Calangute. Some of them were Adv. Jos Peter D'Souza, Alexyz Fernandes, Valentino (Dingo) D'Souza, Juliet D'Souza and others. This school was totally student oriented and the approach used was heuristic in nature i.e. the students learned by experimentation. The student learned what he or she wanted and when he or she wanted. Unfortunately, there were very few takers for a school of this type since the costs of running the institution were enormous in comparison to the amount of fees collected. Also there was a problem of certification. At some stage, these students would have to join the mainstream students and that is where they were disadvantaged since the school was not a recognized school. There is a serious group of parents who are doing home schooling for their children specially for some of those who are gifted and also for autistic children. I would recommend this approach. Bye and take care Tony -- ** "Tony de Sa" < tonydesa at gmail dot com > **