Govt will back universities if they seek to implement semester system: Sibal

New Delhi, Feb. 10 (ANI): HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today said his ministry would back a university if it decides to implement the semester system for its undergraduate courses.

The Delhi University (DU) has decided to implement the semester system at the undergraduate level from the academic session beginning in July this year, while many Masters programmes have already implemented it.

"That (question of semester system) is not for the Government of India to decide; that is for the Vice Chancellor and the Executive Council to decide and as long as they decide, our aim is that there should be a semester system. When that must be implemented, must be left to the university, which seeks to implement, and we do not interfere in that process, and if the Vice Chancellor believes that it should be implemented, we back him," Sibal told reporters in New Delhi.

His remarks came during an interactive session on the 'Changing face of Indian education', organised by Young FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) Ladies Organisation (YFLO) in New Delhi.

When asked about the talks of doing away with Class 12 Board exams (Exams taken by central and state Boards of Education), Sibal denied it, but said the ministry may look at new grading systems.

"No, completely wrong, absolutely wrong. Nobody has ever said that - there is no question of doing away with the Class 12 boards. We may be looking at systems of examination that may be looked at afresh, but there is no question of not having Class 12 Boards. The nature of the result may be different," Sibal said.

The HRD Ministry is taking a series of steps to reform the country's education system and to reduce pressure on children.

In 2009, HRD Ministry announced that there would be no Board Examinations for the students of class 10 in schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The move would be implemented from the academic year of 2011.

Board examinations would be conducted for 2010 but a grading system would be introduced, along with the usual systems of assigning marks to the students. (ANI)