NEW DELHI - The government Monday announced a number of educational reforms ranging from making the Class 10 examination optional to setting up a central madrassa board and an educational tribunal to handle educational malpractices and urged state governments to make education “a non-political agenda”.
“If we can make educational a non-political agenda, we can not only change the future of students but also change the country, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said after a Central Advisory Board on Education meeting attended by state education ministers.
“We are with your reform process. Whether it is on elementary education, higher education, curriculum change, Right to Education, making Class 10 exams optional or introducing grading system,” Sibal said to the state governments.
“All members supported us,” he claimed.
The minister said from the current academic year, the tens of thousands of students studying in Class 10 need not burn the midnight oil or get stressed over the board exams - the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 10 examination has been made optional.
“The CBSE Class 10 exams are optional from the 2009-10 academic year.”
Officials said all schools, which have Class 11 and 12, need not conduct the Class 10 exams, but schools with classes up to standard 10 may conduct the board examination. Under the grading system, students would be given grades like A+, A, B, C, D and E.
Sibal, however, reiterated that he is not proposing state education boards to make Class 10 exams optional.
The minister also announced that vice-chancellors of universities in the country would be appointed by a collegium headed by an eminent person equivalent to a Nobel laureate, and not the central or state government.
“The collegium will consist of 30 to 40 people headed by an eminent personality, lets say a Nobel laureate. They will decide whom to appoint. They will select and inform the government and if the government disagrees, then it will again go back to the collegium, he added.
On higher education, he said his ministry is in favour of an overall body to work on the policy framework of education. But a regulatory body will also be there, which will be separate from this body.
Sibal said there is need for bringing in legislation to deal with educational malpractices, and unfair capitation fees.
“We will also set up an education tribunal. In some states it will work on two levels - state and central level. Cases related to malpractices will go to this tribunal. Students will not have to go to a court and the cases can be solved fast, he added. “There will be a quick remedy through the tribunal.”
The HRD minister said that during deliberation with state governments it was perceived that teacher training is a major issue. “We need some two million trained teachers in the next few years. They should be competent.”
Talking about setting up a central madrassa board, he said: It will be an executive body. It will not interfere with the theological teachings and there is no contention here. The body will consist of both clerics and educationists.”
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