PANAJI: Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday criticised the recent student agitation over the NEET exam, saying it had “stooped to the lowest intellectual level” after placards demanding jailed activist Umar Khalid’s release surfaced during the protests.While reiterating that students have every democratic right to protest, Sawant said the messaging and conduct seen during the agitation had shifted the focus away from the NEET issue.Addressing the inaugural session of the Goa Shiksha Samagam 2026 in Panaji, Sawant said students have every democratic right to protest, but maintained that the conduct and messaging witnessed during the recent agitation could not be associated with genuine student movements.Amid nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over irregularities in the examination system and the NEET paper leak, Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union education minister on July 25.Last week, Goa Police detained two youths in Panaji for allegedly expressing support for jailed student activist Umar Khalid during celebrations following Pradhan’s resignation.Khalid is currently in jail in connection with the 2020 northeast Delhi riots case.The Goa Police had also questioned organisers of two protests held in Mapusa and Panaji last week demanding Pradhan’s resignation.Sawant said, “Students definitely have the right to protest. I can understand an agitation over NEET. But the kind of acts, thoughts and language displayed during the agitation cannot be of students. Many of us have participated in student agitations in the past, but nobody stooped to such a low intellectual level.”The chief minister questioned why the issue of Umar Khalid was raised during demonstrations centred on NEET.“I can understand the agitation over NEET. Dharmendra Pradhan has acted in the interest of students and the nation. But who is Umar Khalid? Why should placards demanding his release be displayed during a NEET protest?” he asked.Sawant further questioned how placards seeking Khalid’s release were displayed at Goa’s Azad Maidan, noting that the activist was arrested in connection with the Delhi riots case.“Who are these people? We need to awaken our students; otherwise such developments will disturb communal harmony,” the chief minister stressed.He also alleged that people from outside Goa had been brought in to participate in the agitation and urged the public to examine videos of the protest.Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP), Sawant said its objective was to create culturally rooted and nationalist students capable of shaping their careers and making independent decisions about their future.The NEP completed six years on Wednesday and replaced an education policy that had remained unchanged for 35 years, he noted.“The policy was changed after 35 years, and it took six years to understand how to implement it. For the last 40 years, we were repeating the same pattern of education,” he said.While some sections had opposed the introduction of the NEP, Goa is now recognised nationally for its implementation, Sawant said.“There were some elements which opposed the NEP, but the case in Goa was different. Today, Goa is leading the country in the implementation of the National Education Policy. Whenever I attend national programmes, I feel proud that Goa is the leader,” he said.Sawant said the state government sought the expertise of premier institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), National Institute of Technology (NIT) and Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, to implement the policy effectively.Highlighting the objectives of the NEP, he said education should not be confined to earning degrees but should equip students with skills needed to succeed in life.“Many students study only to get a degree. If you want to succeed in life, education must also include life skills so that students can decide their future,” he emphasised.Sawant said career guidance and skill development should begin from the school level, particularly from Class 8, to help students identify their interests and strengths at an early stage.“We need to identify creativity and critical thinking among students from the basic education stage so that they can choose the right career path,” he added.Referring to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI), the chief minister dismissed concerns that technology would replace teachers.“Many fear that technology, especially artificial intelligence, will replace teachers. But technology can never replace teachers. It can only upgrade them. We need to use technology to improve teaching and learning,” Sawant said.(With PTI inputs)
