South Goa district library at Navelim Goa - A readers delight

The South Goa district Library named after one of Goa's Illustrious sons Mr Francisco Luis Gomes has been a pleasantly welcome addition to Margao and the district of South Goa .

Opened in November of 2010 , as of today the number of members opting membership at the library has galloped to an impressive 1,800 members with the number increasing every day.The continuous membership is therefore a clear sign that people in Goa have taken to reading.If one is desirous of seeking a membership at this prestigious library all that one needs are two photographs and a meagre deposit of Rs 200 and the formalities are completed pretty fast and you could get your membership in over 30 minutes flat.The members of the Library comes from as far as Quepem and Canacona talukas in South Goa

The Library is also impressively equipped with a book number aggregating to a total of 42,000 books besides over 20 daily newspaper publications, nearly 160 periodicals in various languages including one in Sanskrit and readers are bound find something that could be matching with their choice on the busy library shelves.

The library has also been designed keeping in mind the research students who seek more information on various topics. As such the library has a research oriented focus and also has online data bases. The volumes of books on various subjects are therefore a big boon to students who find the Library a great place to study and get additional material to supplement their prospects in their examinations

Many opine that the library is a good atmosphere for studying and are appreciative of the discipline besides the helpful staff a this reading centre in South Goa which many feel was a dire need of the student community who find this resource very helpful in their prospects.

The library also has a circulating section where the books issued can be kept for over a month and magazines for over 15 days. The library has other sections also including the braille section for the visually impaired. However the material at the Braille section is elementary and is not with research books or novels.

The library also has an auditorium that can accommodate about 88 people and another area which be used for exhibitions . The authorities are planning functions at the library on a regular basis to make use of the facilities which it provides.

There is a new demand proposed by avid readers at the library and that is to provide a bus service or some kind of a shuttle service to enable more people to avail of the use of the library's facilities.

The beautiful part of the library is that it is located on the outskirts of Margao city in Navelim village and is built under the name of Francisco Luis Gomes and is therefore located away from the hustle and bustle of the city amidst a green field of lush paddy fields and the atmosphere created by such an ambiance is considered priceless conducive to the reading and studying habit.

The timings at the library are: Monday to Saturday from 9am to 7.30 pm
Sunday from 9.30 am to .30 pm
Closed on public holidays

The Membership fees at the library are : Deposits: Rs 200 per adult
Rs 50 per child

Number of members currently enrolled : Adults : 1548
Children: 265

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Goa Board talks tough on allocation of sports merit marks

If recommendations made by the Goa board of secondary and higher secondary education to the state sports review committee are accepted, the award of sports concessions under the much-touted Goa sports policy will not come without its set of conditions.

The board has submitted its "recommendations regarding implementation of the Goa sports policy 2011-2012" to the Goa Olympic association, sports authority of Goa (SAG) and the directorate of sports affairs, and has made it clear that "the board is the final authority to allot sports merit marks for those institutions affiliated to it".

The board and the SAG were locked in an acrimonious battle during the last academic year over the final authority in allotting sports marks. The SAG's contentions were repeatedly challenged by the board and it required the intervention of chief minister Digambar Kamat to rule in favour of the SAG. However, as the sports policy review committee prepares for its first meeting next week, the log-jam is expected to continue.

The board has prepared and submitted 18 point recommendations. While many of the recommendations could find favour, there are others which may take some time to be resolved.

The most contentious point will be the addition of the sports merit marks to the aggregate as several sportspersons had complained that the basic purpose of the marks was defeated since they were being shown separately and not added to the aggregate. The board has maintained that the "marks cannot be added to the aggregate as there is no provision of indicating the aggregate under the grading scheme".

The board has also maintained that the sports merit marks "cannot be added subject-wise due to administrative difficulties". The board has also suggested that the "sports participation marks need to be lowered and the sports merit marks need to be increased so as to encourage competition, which is the basis for merit".

Devising its own scheme, the board has suggested that only five marks be allotted to participation at the taluka, district and state-level, while zonal and national participation will entail the sportsperson to 10 marks. International participation has been fixed at 20 marks from the prevailing 40.

The incentives for achievement, however, are more than usual. While the lowest merit marks is an additional two at the taluka level for bronze-medal winners - from the previous one - an international gold will fetch the student 20 merit marks. Currently, gold medalists are entitled for an additional 12 marks at the international.

The board has also suggested that a student should score a minimum of 20% in the external examination to avail of sports merit marks.

The Goa Olympic association has called for a meeting to discuss the recommendations on July 25 while the sports policy review committee will meet on July 28.

Courtesy:timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Goa-Board-talks-tough-on-allocation-of-sports-merit-marks/articleshow/9316738.cms

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