Noting that the state education boards will be given 3 to 5 years to establish a single examination system for admission into courses of higher education across the country,Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said,We do not want to do away with the boards but only strive to introduce uniformity of standards. He was addressing the fourth CII University Industry Council Symposium at Bengal Engineering and Science University on Saturday. There are 41 boards in the country and many do not have requisite standard,he added. Recently,Sibal had said that he was considering a uniform school board in the country,which attracted criticism from a few states that it would affect the diversity of the curriculum in various regions. Sibal,however,said there is no diversity involved in teaching of mathematics,physics and other subjects. For subjects like history and geography,state boards can introduce the diverse curriculum they want,he added. The minister said the school system should be reformed to achieve Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of 30 per cent in higher education by 2020. At present,the national GER is only 12 per cent. He also talked about his initiative of an overarching body in higher education to formulate a policy of independent accreditation system. The minister also stressed on keeping the university free of political and other controls so that they design their own courses. Sibal also batted for foreign direct investment in education and said many foreign governments are keen on setting up campuses in the country.
