A big hurray for Kapil Sibal

Mr Kapil Sibal, India's Human Resoruces and Development minister and a Harvard Law graduate, is trying to reform our archaic educational system and three cheers to that. The Educational reforms and the Right to Education Bill led by him is a welcome change after the ex HRD Minister Arjun Singh managed to mess things quite a bit. It is rare to see a minister make noise about the right things and it deserves applause.

The decision to scrap the Class 10 exams in all CBSE affiliated schools from next academic year and introduce a grading system will bring respite to the cramming that most of the students have to endure starting from their summer vacations. (I guess it's a bad news for the coaching classes as an assured money minting scheme will be taken away from them.) A process of comprehensive evaluation throughout the academic year and an optional online test for students who want to change schools will be established.Though the Class 12 exams remain atleast one bottleneck is removed. I have always preferred the objective entrance tests pattern of exams rather than the cramming sponsored subjective ones. Across the year evaluation of students will also encourage them to pay more attention in their classrooms rather than in the coaching classes which act as an additional burdern both to the students and their parents.

His other important initative is the Right to education bill which has provisions like, schools being set up by the govt in every neighbourhood within 3 years, private schools to reserve 25% of seats in Class, no failing a child till Class VIII, insistence on having a national curriculum, etc. Though it is not very elaborative on the cost that will be incurred for this mission, it's is definitely a step in the right direction.

The decision that the CBSE experience will be examined before State Boards take the plunge a year later, is also prudent as it demonstrates a good business pactice of testing the market befor taking the plunge, rather than going big bang and then rolling back. Kudos to him and he certainly gets my vote.