An India-U.S. education council to enhance ties: Kapil Sibal

October 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The setting up of an Indo-US education council to boost bilateral relations was discussed in a meeting between William Burns, the US under secretary of state for political affairs, and Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal here Thursday. The US delegation led by Burns conveyed that many American universities are keen to know about Indias road map for the education sector.

September 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal Monday asked the Catholic clergy to help the government in shaping the three pillars of education - "expansion, inclusion and excellence". Inaugurating the five-day triennial national assembly of the Conference of Religious India (CRI) here in which more than 550 major superiors of about 360 Catholic religious orders are participating, Sibal said there was still a lot to be done for people's education.

September 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Public Private Partnership (PPP) model is being looked at for some of the Innovation Universities that are to be set up by the Government (the 11th Five Year Plan proposes the establishment of 14 such universities aimed at world class standards). The Government is already in the process of involving a PPP model in school education, said Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal while meeting with Minister for Trade, Investment and Business of the United Kingdom, Lord Mervyn Davies.

August 29th, 2009 Koraput (Orissa) - Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday said the Government was planning to set up over 2,500 model and 200 central schools on public-private- partnership (PPP) basis in the country in next two years Inaugurating the much-awaited central university in this tribal-dominated town, which often witnesses Maoist violence, Sibal informed that the proposed model schools would be set up in the backward areas to provide primary education to all as "higher education has no meaning unless primary education was strengthened." "The schools would be set up in PPP as part of our efforts to strengthen the human resource base," Sibal said during the function. Sibal also asked corporate houses to invest in a big way in the education sector.

July 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Friday said the government is considering setting up autonomous colleges independent of universities. Addressing a meeting of principal secretaries and secretaries of higher education from various states here, Sibal said: "The government is thinking in terms of allowing the setting up of autonomous colleges." The minister's day-long interaction with the officials was his first initiative to evolve a consensus of the states for reforms in the education sector.

July 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday asked all state governments to provide a detailed report of their objectives in the field of higher education by 2020 within a three month deadline. "In the next three months...each state must give its vision as to what it wishes to do by 2020 in the filed of higher education," he said at a conference here attended by higher education secretaries of states," Sibal said.

July 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Wednesday made a forceful case for private investments including from foreign universities in education, and said there would be a law to regulate these institutions. Replying to a debate in the Lok Sabha on demands for budgetary grants for his ministry, Sibal delineated his vision for development of the education sector, arguing that "all kinds of new experiments" would have to be made.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Government reiterated its stand of zero tolerance for ragging in institutions of higher education and said tough regulations have been put in force against this menace. Replying a short duration discussion on increasing incidents of ragging in the country in Rajya Sabha today Union Human Resource Minister Kapil Sibal said the policy of the government shall be zero tolerance for anti social activities like ragging.

June 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Human Resource Development minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday came out with a proposal to have a single board in the country to make the 10th board examination optional and make the admission process smooth. Introducing a 100-day plan, HRD minister said the single board at the all-India level will replace various boards in the country and will hold a uniform examination for all students, which will be similar to the pattern of combined law entrances organised by law institutions.

June 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Only 11 out of 100 students going to school in India reach graduation levels - this is a recipe for disaster, says new Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal as he pushes the cause of primary and secondary education. "The figure is startling.

June 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Stating that the government was committed to improve and reform education standards in India, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal said Wednesday an apex panel on higher education will be formed soon. The autonomous National Commission for Higher Education and Research, which will encompass in itself the existing professional councils and regulatory agencies, including the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Medical Council of India and the AICTE, will be formed within the first 100 days of the new government, Sibal told reporters.

June 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Saying the government was committed to improve education standards in India, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal said Wednesday a new apex panel on higher education will be formed soon. The National Commission for Higher Education and Research, which will encompass in itself the existing professional councils and regulatory agencies, including the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Medical Council of India and the AICTE, is likely to be formed within the first 100 days of the new government, Sibal told reporters.

June 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India and the US will set up a joint working group to boost bilateral relation in the field of education, it was announced Thursday after a meeting between Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal and the US Under Secretary William J. Burns. The group will be headed by Sibal and US Secretary of Education, and it will meet once a year alternately in India and the US.

June 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - HRD Minister Kapil Sibal announced on Monday that the government has decided that it will not accept any further applications of aspiring deemed universities and would conduct a thorough review of the functioning of such universities. "The ministry will set up its own committee, which will visit the deemed universities.

May 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal Saturday won the Chandni Chowk constituency in Delhi by over 200,000 votes. The cabinet minister got 465,713 votes, defeating rival Vijender Gupta of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by 200,710 votes.