In contrast, the new HRD Minister, Kapil Sibal's interests are centred solely on modifying the educational system without any ideological or personal objective. However, his method of bringing about a change is strikingly similar to those of his two predecessors. While Joshi may have had the tacit support of the RSS-led Sangh parivar to give a Hindutva colouring to the history books, he must have known that the resultant furore would expose his real intensions.

Similarly, when Arjun Singh embarked on his mission to reserve seats in the institutes of higher learning for the backward castes, he could not have been unaware that he was pushing his party into a corner because the Congress had never before tried to placate only the OBCs. Therefore, after Arjun Singh played his Mandal II card, it was left to the Veerappa Moily committee to look into the question of augmenting the numbers of seats in such institutes to accommodate the new entrants.

A similar frenetic exercise in expanding educational facilities may have to be undertaken this time if Kapil Sibal's innovative ideas are sought to be implemented. In essence, his proposals are far more revolutionary than any suggested in recent years, for they involve abolishing the age-old practice of holding examinations at the end of Class X. Although the idea of assessing the students via grades in the later stages of their school-going years has been aired before in order to spare them the uncertainties of a final examination, no one has seriously tried to implement the proposal.

Kapil Sibal deserves praise, therefore, for catching the bull by the horns because without his dramatic announcement, the notion of changing the existing system would have remained on paper. Even now, it is unclear whether he will be able to push through his scheme, for contrary opinions are already being voiced from within his party and outside. In a country as conservative-minded as India, the prospect of virtually overturning the existing procedures is not very bright.

This is all the more so because the people who will be most affected by the change - the students and their parents - must have faith in the new arrangement before they can accept it. At present, the end-of-term examination has come to be recognized as a reasonably satisfactory arrangement despite the intense pressure which the students face before the fateful few days when the tests are held.

The negative aspects of this process are well known. It can be deemed unfair to a student to subject him to a one-off assessment of his academic calibre on which the rest of his life and career will depend. Yet, he may not be well during this period because of an unfortunate ailment or accident or he may suffer from an uncharacteristic lapse of judgment. It is to avoid such contingencies that the idea of assessments over a longer period has been suggested. As the minister has said, such a course of action will spare the student the trauma of the final examination.

But the arguments against such a change are no less compelling. For instance, much will depend on the schools and their teachers undertaking such appraisals. They must be reputed enough to earn the trust of the students and their future employers. A reputation of this nature is not acquired in a few years. It is a matter of decades, even centuries. By the very nature of things, the number of such institutions cannot be too high. Not every school imparts “quality education”, which is Kapil Sibal's goal.

Besides, reputations can vary. A widely respected school can deteriorate, usually because of the death or retirement of a distinguished headmaster who built up its name. So, the assessments it made of an earlier generation of students may not be as valuable as those made subsequently. It is because the numbers of well-established schools are not very high that a proposal has been made in the context of the minister's ideas that his first emphasis should be on expanding the educational network.

Only when there are an adequate numbers of institutes which have earned a name for themselves that their evaluations of individual students can be accepted without questions of favouratism. Or without doubts about the verdicts of less-than-qualified teachers. A relook at Rajiv Gandhi's Navodaya Vidyalayas is worthwhile in this respect. But what of the innumerable schools which do not fall into this category? There is seemingly an urban-centric, even elitist, bias in the minister's proposal.

The question also needs to be asked whether avoiding the stress of a final examination is advisable. After all, a person faces such “final” tests throughout his life - during an interview with a prospective employer or when playing a competitive game or when deciding on a course of action relating to a medical emergency. Besides, stress can sometimes bring out the best in a person, for it galvanizes his entire being to produce a career-best performance.

But irrespective of whether the new scheme is implemented or not, few can deny the need for a larger number of reputable schools for imparting an education fit for the 21st century. (IPA Service)