The last couple of months have been very busy and productive for Dempo Vishwa Gramshala.

On January 4th 2024, DVG made an auspicious start to the New Year by signing an addendum to our MOU with the Directorate of Education, Government of Goa, thereby adopting the Government Primary School at Kasarpal (in addition to our original campuses at GHS Kasarpal and GHS Sal). DVG Programme Director, Dr. V. M. Chowgule and Director of Education, Mr. Sailesh Zingde signed the addendum at the Directorate of Education, Porvorim in the presence of DVG’s nodal officer Mr. Melvin D’Costa, Assistant Director of Education. Especially in light of the impending NEP vertical integration of Primary and High schools’ curriculum, DVG can now create a coordinated master plan encompassing the entire Kasarpal Learning Community from Standard 1 through 10.

After extensive design planning and discussion with our key Stakeholders, DVG began immediate excavation of the derelict front playground of GPS Kasarpal and the kachcha mud and weed lot adjacent to GHS Kasarpal: DVG’s planned Primary playground/garden and rolled grass High School playing field, respectively.

DVG is developing a secure, child-friendly playground for our littlest students (Standard 1-4) by raising and fortifying the street-side compound wall with masonry and steel jalis and gates. After securing the wall, DVG will level and finish the playground floor, install a custom-made swing set, monkey bars and see-saw on one half of the area; the other half will have a grass lawn, flower and kitchen garden.

DVG’s older students at GHS Kasarpal (Standards 5-10) will soon be enjoying a beautifully graded, multi-use rolled grass playing field in the large side field adjacent to the Kasarpal compound. GHS Kasarpal has a vibrant and successful physical education/sports programme but lacks a proper playing field. DVG is delighted to provide our young athletes with a proper, secure playing field for both school and extra-curricular sports.

In this first phase of the playing field project, DVG will provide a substantial drainage system for the torrential monsoon run-off typical of the area, with cement storm drains and cement top panels, laterite soling, top soil and rolled Mexican grass to create a firm all-weather surface for multiple games, from Kabbadi to Volleyball to KhoKho. In the second phase to be implemented next year, DVG plans on developing a basketball half-court and a long jump pit. Sports is an integral aspect of DVG’s PRAKRIT trajectory of well-being and we are delighted to help enable our students to achieve their personal best in physical education and sports.

DVG initiated our new KALPANA trajectory (applied knowledge and career planning) on January 18, 2024. Several professors from Dempo Higher Education from diverse academic and administrative departments were DVG’s guest partners to begin an interface with Faculty Stakeholders at GHS Kasarpal. DVG believes strongly in knowing, understanding and empathising with our Stakeholders as prelude to any DVG intervention.

Our first event allowed for intensive, personal interface between Faculty Stakeholders, Team DVG and our Dempo Higher Education Faculty from S.S. Dempo College of Commerce and Economics and DCT’s Dhempe College of Arts and Science. DVG hopes to understand Stakeholders’ ideas and perspectives on the relationship between education and the exigencies of real life; academics; professional, vocational and innovative career choices; personal actualization; adulthood and its responsibilities, etc.

It was a lively and insightful morning.