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All universities should have semester-based exams: Sibal
HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Monday said until every university in India starts a uniform semester-based system of examination, mobility and choice would not be available to students.
HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Monday said until every university in India starts a uniform semester-based system of examination, mobility and choice would not be available to students.
"If a semester system is available in every university, then mobility is possible. But if you have some universities offering three-year degree courses while some others having their own system of examination, then mobility and choice is not available to students," Sibal told reporters on the sidelines of IIM Calcutta's convocation.
At present, most universities conduct annual examinations while only a few have semester-based examinations.
Raising questions on the system of colleges being affiliated by various universities, the minister said the universities "do nothing" for those colleges which fall under its ambit.
"So should the present system of affiliation prevail? Or should structural reforms take place?" he said while putting the onus on the state governments for bringing in such reforms in the education system.
"I am not the architect of those reforms. They have to be done by the state government," Sibal said, adding it was time "for us to look at education holistically" and to connect the youth with it.
Asked about the performance of West Bengal under the Right to Education Act, he said it should be ensured that the teacher-student ratio is kept at 1:30.
"So redeployment of faculty has to take place in the state," he said.
On IITs offering medical education, he said the Centre has agreed to it in principle. "It has been proposed by IIT Kharagpur and we have agreed to the proposal," he said.
"But not every IIT wants a medical college, therefore you can not have a policy," Sibal said.
