Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Wednesday said that the Congress-led government lacked a road map to improve the education system and added that it should evolve consensus among all stakeholders before introducing reforms.
"The government has no direction and no road map about the changes it wants to make in the education system. If the government brings up any programme to work on the loopholes and improve primary education, then the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will adopt a constructive outlook towards it," Joshi told reporters here.
"But we don't believe that the level of education would improve by the abolition of examination," said Joshi, who was the Human Resource Development minister during the NDA's tenure.
Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday had announced a slew of measures - legal, policy and administrative - for improving the country's education system. The measures included making the Class 10 board examination optional, accreditation agencies for schools, free education and private sector involvement in primary learning.
"The government should first talk to the teachers and students' association and then make changes in the education system. Many members of the Congress itself are not supporting the idea of the HRD minister," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"The government should first talk to the teachers and students' association and then make changes in the education system. Many members of the Congress itself are not supporting the idea of the HRD minister," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"As per NDA, education should be less costly and in accordance with the present time. Improvement in education not only includes changing the examination system but includes improving the level of the teachers and their availability. As the education system is expanding, there would be need of more teachers," Joshi added.
Earlier in the day Joshi, Sushma Swaraj and Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav attended a meeting of education ministers of NDA-ruled states.
"The education ministers of NDA (government) disagreed with the idea of one board in the entire country," Joshi said.