No plan for common school board: Kapil Sibal

The human resource development ministry (HRD) has begun consultations with states on the government’s proposal to make board exams for class X in CBSE schools optional and to introduce grading system in these schools.

But he is no longer pushing for the common all-India school education board. “We don’t want to destroy the diversity of school boards. We want excellence in quality. The government would not dilute the diversity of subjects that vary from states depending on the local environment, regional history and craftsmanship. We must have a uniform teaching of subjects like mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology,” he told a conference of secretaries of school education and literacy.

He also asked states to give up their “laidback” approach to improving quality of education. Referring to the quality of teachers, Sibal said this has been an area of concern. The Right To Education Bill envisages that teachers will have to receive a certain degree in five years time. “The states should not take five years for this,” he said. “I want you to work with us to develop a uniform system to build the people who will compete with the rest of the world. We need an element of uniformity of excellence and quality,” Sibal said.

Mid-day meal programme to be rationalised
Given the steadily rising food prices, the government is planning to rationalise the parameters of the mid-day meal scheme by linking cooking cost to price index. This will help states to automatically enhance the amount spent per meal, based on the rise of food commodities. As of now the government has to take clearance from the cabinet every time it wants to revise the budget on MDM. The government spends Rs 2.08 for cooked food for a child at the primary level and Rs 2.60 at upper primary level.