Education reform will be for all Indians: Sibal

PROMISES: Sibal reafirms that his office will fulfill the commitment under the Right to Education Bill.

          

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How does Union Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal respond to the criticisms of his educational reforms? Karan Thapar asked him on Devil’s Advocate.

Karan Thapar: Minister, on June 25, at your press conference, did you throw up ideas for public debate or did you announce decisions taken by the Government?

Kapil Sibal: The press release that day suggested that there were some issues which were merely ideas; there were some that were decisions; there were some which were initiatives of policy and there were decisions initiatives and legislations.

Unfortunately, the press misinterpreted all that by terming all I said as decisions.

Karan Thapar: So just to clarify, because there has been an impression created both on television and papers that everything you announced is a decision to which the Government is committed, you are now saying to me that some of the things were decisions, others were ideas for discussions and yet others were ideas for exploration.

Kapil Sibal: Absolutely and that is reflected in the press release itself. It was a written press release explaining which idea was for discussion, which for exploration and which one was a decision.

Karan Thapar: One of the reasons why there was confusion was that at the same time, you made it clear that these were your ministry's agenda for the first 100 days. Can an agenda consist of things that are not decisions?

Kapil Sibal: Absolutely. A Government functions by putting ideas and issues in the public domain through the ministry and then the minister comes and says this is my 100-day agenda, I would like some of these things to be discussed but some of these things I am doing anyway. This is how public discussions and debate take place in a democracy.

Karan Thapar: So when a minister comes and says that theses are the things I am putting in the public domain, I'd like them discussed; are you also saying to me that you are open not just to public debate but listening to what the public says and adding, amending, altering so of your ideas accordingly?

Kapil Sibal: Absolutely. These things evolve when we put them out. One should understand that we did a lot of work, which means that a lot of public discussion has already gone into this.

Karan Thapar: But that is inside your ministry, among your ministry officials.

Kapil Sibal: Take for example, the National Curriculum Framework of 2005. In that itself there was a huge process of public interaction before the framework was put in place, so there is a public framework already in place. So, if I am trying to take that forward, there is still public discussion and I am ready to listen to that.

Karan Thapar: So when you say you are willing to listen to the public it means that many of the ideas that you threw up can be amended or altered with public debate?

Kapil Sibal: Yes, it should be. That is what a democracy is all about.

Karan Thapar: So, it is possible that some of the ideas which you threw up may not happen because the public debate may overtake it.

Kapil Sibal: Of course, it is in the domain of the possibility but at the same time when I have put these ideas in the public domain there is my initial prima facie conclusion that these are good for my country, these educational reforms are required.

But if there is a public outcry that this is not possible and I feel there is a rationale in that I would certainly go ahead with it.

Karan Thapar: When you say that when you put this is in public domain you believe they are good ideas for the country. Did you at any point talk to the Prime Minister or share these ideas with him?