Minister calls for rethinking on education system

Updated on: Monday, May 28, 2012

Calling for long-term planning in Education and rethinking on the education system in the country, P K Shahi, Education minister of Bihar ridiculed the successive education ministers at the Centre. He said "the governments at the Centre are in the habit of making abrupt changes in education", and added that there should be continuity in education planning.

Shahi was speaking to mediapersons after conclusion of a daylong workshop on 'Skill Development Initiatives and Vocational Training' organized by the Bihar Board of Open Schooling and Examination, an autonomous body of the state education department.

He said he was not against the concept of community college but favoured strengthening of government polytechnics and Industrial Training Institutes. Shahi was a member of an Indian delegation of state education ministers that visited the US early this month to study the system of community colleges there. He said the concept was very good but may not state poor states like Bihar due to resource constraints. "It would be a better idea to strengthen government polytechnics and ITIs and include humanities as subjects there," he said.

Regarding Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), he said last year the Centre sanctioned Rs 11,000 crore to the state but it got only Rs 1,900 crore. This year again, the Centre has allocated Rs 11,000 crore. The Centre doesn't have enough funds to make allocations of this order to a state since it has a budget of Rs 25,000 crore only for SSA, he added.

At the workshop, held on the Bihar Chamber of Commerce premises, discussions were held with government agencies and representatives of private companies for linking distance education with vocational skill development. "We want to set up skill centres not only to impart training but also to synergize with theoretical knowledge," Shahi said.

He added that in apparel sector alone, 3.6 lakh Bihari tailors were working outside the state. Similarly, more than 5 lakh Bihari drivers were working in other states. Several companies have expressed their interest in joining the government initiative on skill development, which would benefit a big population, he added.

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