New Delhi, June 26: The government will take all steps to enact the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2005 to provide free and compulsory education to children aged 6-14, and push for the process of examination reforms, including making Class X examination optional in accordance with the National Curriculum Framework-2005.
Announcing the government’s agenda for the education sector in the next 100 days at a press conference here on Thursday, Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said enactment of the Bill — also known as the Right to Education Bill — will be followed by the notification of the 86th Constitutional Amendment in the official gazette.
The Right to Education Bill, pending in the Rajya Sabha, is the enabling legislation to notify the 86th Constitutional amendment, passed in December 2002. “The Bill should be passed in the budget session,” he said.
Internal assessment
Mr. Sibal said the government intended to make Class X examination optional, thus permitting students continuing in the same school (and who do not need a board certificate) to take an internal school assessment instead. “We will introduce a system for replacement of marks by grades in schools affiliated to the Central Board of School Education (CBSE) for the secondary classes IX and X. But the State boards and other institutions will have to be taken on board,” he said. “We must de-traumatise students who sometimes commit suicide,” Mr. Sibal said.
Exploring the possibility of setting up an independent accreditation body for school education is also on the government’s list of priorities. “Initially it will be voluntary. All good schools will opt for accreditation and those who do not will help us ascertain which are not up to the mark,” he said.
The accreditation body would be totally free from governmental interference, said Mr. Sibal.
Reiterating that the government would try and evolve a consensus for establishment of an All-India Madrasa Board without interfering in the religious matters, Mr. Sibal said, “We want students to receive a secular education and make the Madrasa degrees equivalent to the CBSE so that the children can pursue higher studies.” The Ministry will attempt to formulate a policy framework for public-private partnership in school education, and evolve a variety of PPP models and apply them as feasible.
The National Literacy Mission will be recast to focus on women.
-Agencies