Stress on schools, not higher education: Digvijay to Sibal

JABALPUR - A day after Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal announced far-reaching proposed reforms in IIT entrance exams, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh Saturday targetted the minister, saying the ministry should shift its focus from higher education to developing the school system.

Digvijay Singh, who recently attacked Home Minister P. Chidambaram for his anti-Maoist policies, said the need of the hour is that the HRD ministry “should pay more attention to the development of school education and skill development centres than stressing on higher education”.

“I have full faith in the HRD ministry and they will look into the matter,” the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said here.

On Friday, Sibal had stated that foreign students and faculty, medical courses and a new pattern for entrance exams are among the reforms planned for Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Sibal had barely a week ago got praise from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his “zeal, dedication and enthusiasm that he has brought to bear on the work of this most important ministry of the union government”.