Thursday, January 10, 2013

“I don’t want parents and children to be traumatised”

The latest Union Budget has given ample scope to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal to realise his grand dreams to completely revamp and restructure the education system in India. In an exclusive interview to priyanka rai, Sibal lays down a road map for how he will do to education what Manmohan Singh did with the economy in 1991. B&E wishes him Godspeed.

B&E: At what point of your life did you first think of joining politics?

KS: I think I was 14. I was sitting in the Parliament gallery. I heard someone speak. He was from Kashmir and was speaking in beautiful Urdu. I found it fascinating. I said to myself that I had to be here.

B&E: Was there anything in particular in our education system that frustrated you back then? 
KS: I found the system completely unrelated to the outside world. Basically everything was ratta (learning by rote) examination. Remember, there are all kinds of people, there are those that are by nature disciplined, and those that are not. There are young boys who are full of ideas. For them curriculum discipline is oppressive. The system must make education entertaining. Today education is a torment for young minds. Education is basically about life and the existing syllabus doesn’t complement what you learn from life.

B&E: Did any particular incident make you think this way?
KS: Not in my case. I was the captain of my school team in cricket, hockey and football. I was also the winner of the first prize in 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. I was an athlete. I was least interested in studies. As life moved on, I became more serious about studies. I took up theatre in college. In my first year I was Julius Caesar with Kabir Bedi playing Casca. Then I was the lead character in Richard III. I also directed plays in St. Stephen’s College.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
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