Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday announced that the class X board exams will be made optional from the coming year and a grading system will be introduced to rate the students.
Speaking after a meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education attended by the education minister of 25 states, the Minister said that all states have agreed to implement the system. The states were also in agreement that education reforms in the country ought to be speeded up.
Sibal also said that a madrassa board will be set up to oversee madrassa education. The board will comprise of both educationists and clerics, so that both religious and secular education can be imparted to madarsa students.
Further, there was broad agreement that Vice-Chancellors of universities will be appointed through a collegium rather that by the government.
Sibal said the government was in favour of giving
complete autonomy to the universities. The universities can
forge alliance with other universities in the world.
The states have also agreed that the teachers with better command of their subjects need to be appointed in the schools.
Earlier, he had asked the states to cooperate in the implementation of the Right To Education Act as a whopping Rs 1.5 lakh crore would be required for it in the next five years.
Chairing the meeting of Central Advisory Board of Education, Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal said that the Union Government can spend about Rs 45,000 crore for the purpose under the 11th Plan. Besides, it may spend another Rs 45,000 crore in the first three years of the 12th Plan.
"The kind of money we are looking at is 1.5 lakh core to be able to provide quality education at elementary level. We have about Rs 90,000 crore in the 11th Plan and the first three years of the 12th Plan.
We need another Rs 60,000 crore. We need your cooperation.
We need a constructive way to work together," he said at the meeting attended by 25 state education ministers.
He asked the states to increase the budget allocation to education so that the country can achieve six per cent GDP spending in this sector.
West Bengal Education Minister Partha Dey, however, expressed reservation over the Centre changing the funding pattern of various schemes. He said it was adding to the burden of the states and the "sharing of money should be realistic".
However, Sibal urged the states to come forward for
this "national enterprise of education" and said the country
cannot wait and has to provide quality education to every
child.
The minister emphasised on giving full liberty to
students to decide the course they want to pursue instead of
imposing a career option on them.
Sibal said that the government will set up a task
force soon to study the recommendations of Yashpal Committee
and suggest measures on how to "go forward".
The Yashpal Committee has suggested setting up a
National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER)
which would subsume all regulatory bodies in higher education.
The government is preparing a Bill for the purpose.
Sibal said the Union Government is not in favour of
having a single board for the entire country. It respects
diversity and realises the relevance of each board.
"However, for professional courses like Science and
Mathematics, a core curriculum will be framed in next two
months' time," he said.
Sibal said the government is committed to provide
education to the physically challenged. He asked the states to
ensure full participation of differently-abled children in
education.
Sibal also outlined the other initiatives of the
ministry, including the move to set up educational tribunals
and a brain gain policy to attract academics from outside.
First Published: Monday, August 31, 2009, 21:34