27 June : The Union HRD Ministry’s proposal for reforms in education sector evoked opposition from more states on Friday while some favoured consensus on the issue.Opposing HRD Minister Kapil Sibal’s move to create an national school board and make class X exams optional, Tamil Nadu said there will be too much pressure on a candidate while directly sitting for the class XII exams.
State School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu refused to comment on the proposal saying it was a policy decision but was of the view that only higher education came under the purview of the Centre and it could not interfere in the affairs of school education as it fell under the domain of the state governments.
BJP dubbed as "directionless, illogical and impractical" the reforms mooted by the HRD ministry in the education sector and said that states were not taken into confidence in the matter.Though education is in the Concurrent list, states had not been consulted by the minister, senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi told reporters.
"This is a federal government, a federal constitution. States have rights. Every state has different requirements and problems in education, especially in primary and secondary education," Joshi, a former HRD minister, said.
Expressing concern over HRD minister Kapil Sibal’s "hurry" to announce reforms within the first 100 days of the UPA government, he said "The requirement in North-East will not be there in Kerala… vocational education requirements in Gujarat will not be there in Rajasthan. And what is required there will not be required in Tamil Nadu".He said in 100 days the UPA has to do something and since it cannot do anything, it wants to destroy education. "This cannot be permitted."BJP-ruled Karnataka opposed the proposal saying the need of the hour is to discuss what content should be taught to students.
"We are not opposed to reforms. But it should not be done unilaterally," Karnataka Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri said.
Bihar and Punjab said Sibal should take into confidence the state governments for "evolving a consensus" on the issue."We appreciate the proposals for bringing about radical changes in the education system, but there is the need for evolving a consensus among the states.Otherwise, implementing the proposals would be difficult," Bihar HRD Minister Harinarain Singh said.