Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday secured the approval of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) for the slew of reforms that he has been planning for the education sector in his first 100 days in office.
At the end of the day-long meeting, CABE – in which all State Governments are represented -- unanimously endorsed the general need for reforms at every level of education. As the Minister read out what he regarded as the salient features on which there was broad agreement, none of the members challenged his claim of unanimity. He did, however, acknowledge the different view points that members had on the pace and process of reforms.
Among the major reforms that CABE approved was the proposal for an autonomous overarching authority for higher education and research with its policy related functions being distinct from regulatory functions. The Board also endorsed the Ministry’s proposal to have a self-selecting collegium of eminent persons to select the chairperson and members of the National Commission for Higher Education and Research, and vice-chancellors of universities.
Though West Bengal Higher Education Minister Sudarshan Roychoudhuri voiced reservations about mandatory assessment and accreditation in higher education on the assumption that the process would be outsourced to private players, he went along with the rest of CABE to endorse this proposal once it was clarified that his concerns would be addressed.
The Board was supportive of the law to prevent, prohibit and punish malpractices in higher education, the move to establish educational tribunals at the national and State levels to fast-track adjudication, and set up a Central Madrassa Board. Given the sensitivities attached to madrassa education, the Minister assured members that affiliation of madrassas would be voluntary and clerics would be involved in the proposed mechanism to oversee non-theological education.
In the realm of school education, CABE stressed the need for modification of curriculum, syllabi and textbooks on the basis of the National Curriculum Framework, 2005, so that all children in the country have access to child-centric, constructivist teaching and learning processes.
Though State Governments were apprehensive about how to implement the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education – given the huge costs involved – all congratulated the Centre for enacting the long-pending legislation without which the Fundamental Right to Education could not be operationalised.
On the issue of funding, Mr. Sibal said Rs. 2,00,000 crore would be needed for RTE over the next five years. The Ministry’s estimate is that there would be a shortfall of Rs. 60,000 crore but he said the Prime Minister had already made a public commitment to find the resources to implement the legislation that signals a shift in approach from provision of incentives and benefits to child rights and entitlements.
