Kapil Sibal on Friday assumed office as the Human Resource Development Minister and indicated that educational reform and upgradation of skills and competency levels will be his priority. Sibal said the PM-backed National Knowledge Commissions recommendations are pivotal in creating a knowledge economy and knowledge society. He suggested that the pending Foreign Universities Bill will be revisited and curricula across schools and colleges will be upgraded or revised to increase employability possibilities. He pointed out that his priority will be to ensure that education is provided to every child and youth in the country and to maintain a balance between access and quality. You cannot have quality without access and access without quality the idea is to bring a balance between the two, he said. Sibals agenda will be to put in place a system in which every child is allowed access to education. Many of the NKC recommendations will be looked into carefully and where the need arises,the recommendations will be implemented, he said,marking a shift from his predecessor Arjun Singhs stance. The NKC had called for sweeping changes in higher education in particular,advocating scrapping of the UGC,AICTE and setting up a single independent regulator,academic and administrative independence of institutes,and peer review-based appointments of heads of institutes. Former HRD minister Arjun Singhs disagreement with the NKC was there for all to see with the CABE committee rejecting virtually all NKC recommendations at its last meeting. Sibal,however,chose not to comment on this antagonism between Arjun Singh and the NKC. Sibal added that even IITs and IIMs need to change. He added that there will be far greater synergy between the Science & Technology Ministry which he earlier headed and the HRD Ministry to strengthen research and training. Sibal said his ministrys two major pending legislations Right to Education Bill and the Foreign Universities Bill will be taken forward. Arjun Singh had not taken the Foreign Universities Bill ahead even after the Left parties had pulled out of the Government.
