After an exceptionally good 100-day dash, in the course of which Union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal relentlessly wooed and was in turn wooed by the media, he appears to have encountered his first obstacle. The one-day hartal by IIT/IIM professors will not only test Sibal’s nerves but also his ability to deal with the problem. He also appears to have ruffled the feathers of some of his cabinet colleagues by pushing his agenda on higher education. Speaking to Anuradha Raman, Sibal says he is unfazed. Excerpts:
How reasonable are the demands made by IITs and IIMs?
I do not think salary is the main cause for their agitation. They get some of the highest salaries offered to academic faculty, the best in the country and comparable to the best in the world. What can I really do if they decide to go on strike? They can strike. They can go on fast.
What then is the real issue?
They have made some demands about lowering the qualification bar for entry-level lecturers and assistant professors. I can’t allow that. How can a third class PhD holder be allowed to teach in the most prestigious institutes in the country? Do they want me to lower the standards of teaching? It is unheard of anywhere in the world. All we have said is that the faculty should have the requisite experience, implying they should have taught in a select band of premier institutes before being chosen as professors. As I said, salary is not an issue with IITs/IIMs. They get pay packets as per Pay Commission rules. The government is not interfering in the hiring process or in the academic pursuits of these premier institutes. But it is answerable to Parliament as the expenses incurred by these institutions are budgeted.
You appear to have hit a roadblock with the Foreign Education Providers Bill. The PMO has asked for greater flexibility in the draft. Your comments....
I can assure you that the passage of the Bill will be smooth. There is no objection from the PMO. Every university that wants to set up shop here will be examined on a case-to-case basis.
Do you think Ivy League/Oxford/Cambridge would come here? What will India offer them?
Ivy League is not only Harvard. There are other universities in America and England who have shown interest in India. mit and Oxford are also exploring. It would be unfair for me to name them as we are still in the process of negotiations. I can only assure you that the best will come. There is no question of allowing fly-by-night operators. My chief concern is good quality higher education. With 12.4 per cent of the youth entering universities, the numbers are poised to grow and we should be able to provide them with the best education.
You have made some policy statements about Xth class board exams—making them optional to reduce stress among students. But you have been quiet about the real issues facing primary and secondary education—lack of infrastructure, teachers, the severe strain under which government schools function. What are your plans to improve this sector?
I have to remind all that education is on the concurrent list. I can only assist in providing a template for schools under the Central Board of Secondary Education. I have no jurisdiction over the states. I can only guide them and provide a plan by setting the standards of education. But the implementation has to be done by the states. The Right to Education Bill is a step in that direction.
