Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday described the recent student agitation in the state over the NEET exam as having reached the lowest intellectual level, citing placards demanding the release of activist Umar Khalid as evidence that the protest had lost its original focus.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the Goa Shiksha Samagam 2026 in Panaji, Sawant acknowledged students’ democratic right to protest. He drew a line, however, at the conduct and messaging displayed during the agitation. “I can understand an agitation over NEET. But the kind of acts, thoughts and language displayed cannot be of students. Many of us have participated in student agitations in the past, but nobody stooped to such a low intellectual level,” he said.
The remarks came amid nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party against alleged irregularities and a paper leak in the NEET exam system. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on July 25. Goa police detained two youth in Panaji last week for allegedly expressing support for Khalid during celebrations that followed the resignation.
Khalid remains in jail in connection with the 2020 northeast Delhi riots case. Police also questioned organisers of protests in Mapusa and Panaji that demanded Pradhan’s resignation.
Sawant questioned why Khalid’s release was relevant to a NEET-focused agitation and asked how such placards appeared at Azad Maidan. He alleged outsiders had been brought in to participate and urged the public to watch protest videos, warning that such developments could disturb communal harmony. “Who are these people? We need to awaken our students,” he said.
On education policy, Sawant noted that the National Education Policy, which completed six years on Wednesday, aims to produce culturally rooted students equipped with life skills and the ability to make independent career decisions. Goa has drawn on expertise from IIT, NIT and BITS Pilani for its implementation, he said. Career guidance should begin from Class 8 so students can identify their strengths early, he added. He dismissed fears that artificial intelligence would replace teachers, calling technology a tool to upgrade teaching.
