Goa enjoys the pride of place as one of the most literate states of India. Since the liberation of the State in 1961, the State Government has rightly accorded prominence to universal education as the cornerstone of human development, with sustained focus on qualitative growth of primary, secondary, higher secondary, as well as higher education sectors. As a result, the State has today emerged among the top performing States in the domain of education.
One of the major contributors to the education sector in Goa has been the Dempo Charities Trust. The name Dempo has been associated with philanthropy for many decades. The name and fame of the Dempo family extends beyond the boundaries of Goa and its philanthropy has generously supported individuals and institutions associated with the arts and culture, sports, and education. The Trust presently manages four educational institutions in the State – Dhempe College of Arts and Science (established in 1962), SS Dempo College of Commerce & Economics (established in 1966), both affiliated to Goa University, and Vasantrao Dempo Higher Secondary School of Arts, Science and Commerce (established in 1975), and Dempo Higher Secondary School of Science (established in 2012), both affiliated to Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. The combined student enrolment in all four institutions is about 3500.
Over the past several decades, the education sector in India has undergone a dramatic change. In realization of the critical role that education plays in the development of human resources for scientific, technological and economic advancement of the nation, the focus has shifted from gross enrolment in various stages of education to the dimension of quality in education, which broadly encompass quality of infrastructure and learning resources, quality of teaching-learning processes, continuing teacher education and a sustained focus on learning outcomes, inculcating values and fostering lifelong competencies among students.
In keeping with the national objectives, the Dempo Charities Trust has consciously nurtured an enabling and supportive academic culture that provides its educational institutions the scope to think critically, ideate, strategize and implement their curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular programmes and policies in an effective manner. The fact that the two colleges of the Trust are awarded Grade A by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is testimony to the unwavering emphasis of the Trust on the quality dimensions of the educational programmes offered, the learning experiences and overall life experiences of students at its institutions of higher education.
The two higher secondary schools run by the Trust also strive to provide state of the art infrastructure and a learning environment that enables students to perform well in Board examinations, competitive examinations as well as the challenging national level examinations such as the IITJEE, NEET, KVPY and others. The students of these schools have topped in the State Board examinations and have secured the highest rank in the State in IITJEE, BITSAT, KVYP and such other competitive examinations.
The other prominent contributions of the Trust include the award of scholarships and financial assistance to the needy and deserving students; special scholarships for students from St. Cruz village; financial assistance to various educational, socio-cultural and religious institutions in the State; and support to research. With a view to bridge the gaps in the field of research in subjects related to Goa’s culture, arts, society, biodiversity, etc., and with a view to strengthen and consolidate the intellectual foundations of Goa, the Trust has established a Fellowship for Goan scholars undertaking research in these areas. The Trust also actively supports and promotes cultural activities like music, theatre, and festivals promoting Goan traditions, as well as academic seminars, workshops and conferences organized by the university and other professional organizations.