After Saffronisation, Reservation now its time for Sibalism.
The Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal's annoucement recently that there would be sweeping changes in the education system including a optional class X board exam, a centralized education board for the whole country, introduction of a grade system evoked a lot of controversy. Though the idea sounds good on the ears there are a lot of practical difficulties.
The grade system which is aimed at reducing the pressure to be the topper. In grade system there is no single topper but a group of say 10 to 15 people within the same marks range are considered to be the topper. Since there is no single topper there is a less chances of having hurt ego ( applies more to parents than the students themselves). This has a flip side also, a student who is perfect in his work is not recognised. The admissions to certain schools which are based on the marks are also effected. How do you set a cut off? How do you select some from many? This requires a new criteria for selection which certainly will be a new entrance test which is against the very motive of the grading system.
The class X board exams optional, only for students wish to join a diffrent institution need to appear for these exams. Though this may reduce pressure of performing which is so high that it some times leads to even suicide, the students from the rural areas are at a disadvantage. In rural areas mostly schools are upto class X and for +2 education you mostly have to move to a diffrent institution, which makes the taking of board exams a forced one.
Though the making of class X exams may reduce the pressure, the intention of the Mr Sibal to centralize the class XII exams further pressurizes the students. With no previous experience of appearing for board exams, the students will have added pressure of competing at the national level.
The union HRD ministry is always in the news albeit for the wrong reason. First it was Murali Manohar Joshi who was accused of Saffronisation of education. He was accused of influnceing the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) laid down a national curriculum framework for school education.
Mr Sibal's predecessor Arjun Singh was also in the controversy over the reservation for OBCs in higher education. There was a very vocal protests all throught India, particularly by the students of the All India Institue of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). This aside the Mr Singh did not have a clear plan on how to implement it, where to get the necessary resources etc.
Now Mr Sibal is also following the footsteps of his predecessor by not having an action plan. This may prove disastrous for education if implemented without the necessary elements in place.
