Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Feb 19: In a bid to address the persistent gap in filling government posts reserved for persons with disabilities (PwDs), the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Goa regional centre is in discussions with the office of the commissioner for persons with disabilities to establish a dedicated coaching centre to help disabled candidates prepare for various government job examinations.

IGNOU Goa regional centre director G Shrinivas said many PwDs face barriers at different stages of education or during their job search due to lack of structured guidance and support.

“The commissioner for persons with disabilities, Guruprasad Pawaskar, recently called a meeting to discuss a solution. We spoke to various associations representing persons with different disabilities. One question was how they can pursue higher education. Secondly, we decided to chalk out a programme to prepare them for reserved government jobs,” Shrinivas said.

He added that a scope assessment will be conducted to determine the number of government posts reserved for PwDs in Goa. Based on the findings, a long-term programme will be designed to systematically prepare candidates to clear competitive exams over the next five to six years.

The proposed coaching centre is expected to focus not only on exam preparation but also on guidance related to higher education pathways, career counselling and sustained mentorship, aimed at improving representation of persons with disabilities in public sector employment.