Prof Joshi to review education

CALCUTTA, May 10: The Central Government is planning to set up a committee to review the present educational system and suggest suitable cha...

CALCUTTA, May 10: The Central Government is planning to set up a committee to review the present educational system and suggest suitable changes to make it more vocational-oriented, according to Murli Manohar Joshi, Union Human Resources Development Minister.

Speaking to the press here this afternoon, Joshi said that the committee, comprising of eminent educationists and scholars, would try to identify the grey areas in the present education system.

Expressing surprise over the fact that since 1991 there had been no review of the education policy 8212; though a review is mandatory every five years 8212; he said, quot;These days, most students coming out of colleges and universities don8217;t have the required employment criteria.quot;The Union Minister, however, rebuffed suggestions that any education policy approved by the BJP-led Central Government would quot;have a high dose of the party8217;s ideologyquot;. The committee would include experts from different backgrounds and ideologies, the Minister clarified, adding that thereforethe policy formulated by them would be unbiased.

Interestingly, the surprise package of the day was that the Left Front found an unlikely supporter in Joshi on the issue of imparting education in English. Replying to a question, the Union Minister said, quot;I don8217;t favour the use of English as a medium of education.quot;

However, he refused to categorically say anything on whether English should be removed or retained. quot;All I want to say is that education should be imparted in the mother tongue of a children,quot; he said. The Minister also said that the Government had already identified the quot;infirmities at the primary level and the present education system8217;s indifference towards rural children.quot;

However, Joshi, well aware of the controversy created by the Left Front Government8217;s decision to do away with English from the primary level, wrapped the debate by saying, quot;On such matters, the state governments are allowed to have their own agenda.quot;

When asked about the quot;BJP Government8217;s double-standardquot; regarding theresignation of ministers chargesheeted in various cases, Joshi said, quot;One has to distinguish between cases of political corruption and those made out of agitational issues.quot;

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Terming the CBI charge-sheets against BJP ministers in the Babri Masjid demolition case as quot;falsequot;, Joshi said that the charges brought against him, L K Advani, Uma Bharati and others were quot;not corroborated with any substantiating evidence.quot; However, he dodged questions on whether he would quit if AIADMK leader J Jayalalitha pressed for his resignation by saying that the issue of his resignation would be decided by the Prime Minister and not by the AIADMK leader.

About the party8217;s alliance with the Trinamool Congress, Joshi said that quot;The alliance is very much there and the process of seat-sharing at the panchayat-level is on.quot; He refuted suggestions that the alliance was kept alive by quot;marginalising West Bengal BJP president Tapan Sikdar.quot;

The BJP leader also denied reports that the party8217;s allies were keeping up the pressure onthe Government, saying that the coordination committee, which met quot;on a very cordial notequot; in New Delhi yesterday, had set aside all such speculations.