The Goa government has introduced stricter regulations for all educational institutions, requiring prior approval before any external individual, organisation, or group can interact with students through seminars, lectures, awareness programmes, or similar events.
The directive was issued by the Directorate of Education following a communication from the North Goa District Magistrate’s office, which referred to a police report highlighting concerns over the activities of the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) in educational institutions across the state. According to the report, authorities expressed concerns about the organisation’s ideological influence and certain activities that were viewed as potentially affecting communal harmony and public order.
In its circular, the Directorate of Education stated that schools must seek written permission before allowing any outside organisation or speaker to conduct programmes on campus. Institutions will be required to submit detailed information about the organisers, speakers, and the proposed content of the event for review before approval is granted.
The government emphasised that educational institutions should remain focused on academic learning and operate within the framework of constitutional values. It also noted that activities unrelated to education or those that may promote communal agendas are not in line with existing provisions of the Goa School Education Act and related rules.
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Under the new guidelines, a faculty member must be present throughout every approved session to monitor proceedings. Schools will also have to maintain records of external visitors and submit reports after each event, confirming that no unauthorised or objectionable content was shared with students.
The move, according to the state government, is aimed at ensuring a safe, neutral, and academically driven environment across Goa’s educational institutions while strengthening oversight of external engagements on school campuses.
