New Delhi: Favouring a core curriculum
for Mathematics and Science in all school boards in the
country, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday said this could pave the way for a common entrance exam for admission to
professional courses.
Sibal also said the reforms in education system should
be carried out in a way that helps the country to change from
being a "recipient of knowledge to producer of knowledge."
"We should set up a system of core curriculum in
respect of professional courses. There should a core
curriculum for Maths and Science. This will ensure the level
of uniform and equivalence of quality," he said, addressing
the meeting of Council of Boards of Secondary Education here.
Officials from state boards and noted academicians
were also present in the meeting.
"Once all the boards agree on this then there could be
a one-time examination for students to enter into the varsity
system," Sibal said and asked the boards to deliberate on the
issue and come out with a road map.
The minister said he could not understand why there
should be a difference in Maths and Science. "Subjects
relating to environment and others can be different according
to the state and city. But why should Science and Maths be
different?" he asked.
"We have 41 boards in the country. Why should one
state have four boards? We should break the walls and prepare
our children for the future," Sibal said.
Admitting that achieving the idea is a "herculean
task", Sibal said the current education system is narrow
minded and "there is no difference between what is taught
inside four walls and what is seen once the walls are broken."
He said the ministry wants to implement grading
system in CBSE schools to "de-stress" education and take the
load from the Children.
"Grade system will be implemented in CBSE schools
soon. So, that there is no difference between children who
score 99 per cent and 98 percent," he said.
The HRD Minister said if the Class X board exams are
made optional in the country there will be a paradigm shift in
the education system.
"We are not asking the states to follow us. We are not
trying to take out their autonomy. We are helping them to
reduce the burden on children," he said.
He also suggested that there could be regional boards
in the country and added that these were all just his
suggestions to improve the education system.
The HRD Minister also advocated the need for providing
vocational training to students during their secondary
education, in order to help them compete with students from
other countries.
"We need to stress upon vocational training. Programmes
such as automotive engineering, music and other subjects
should be made available to the students. If they are
interested, they can learn them during their secondary
education. We can give them a CBSE degree," he said.
Bureau Report
