Moving cautiously on the demand for OBC quota in private educational institutions, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has said a consensus has to be evolved through consultations with all stakeholders on the issue which needs to be dealt with "circumspection".
In an interview to PTI, Sibal said he is not opposed to quota in private educational institutions.
"No question of opposition to anything. We must move forward with circumspection. These are issues that touch every home, every child and every family. And we must develop a national consensus when we move forward on these issues," the minister said.
He was asked whether government proposed to introduce reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in private educational institutions.
The government had in 2006 passed the OBC Reservation Bill, seeking 27 per cent quota for OBCs in Central Educational Institutions (CEIs). However, reservation could not be implemented that year as the matter was taken to the Supreme Court which gave its go ahead in 2008.
At present the CEIs are implementing 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in a phased manner over a period of three years ending 2010-11.
"We would like to have consultations. How do you build up consensus? You consult various stakeholders. You consult the private sectors, you ask them their financial capacity and how much time they need to implement," Sibal said.
He said the priority before the government was to ensure that reservation was implemented in the CEIs, including IITs, IIMs and Central Universities.
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"We want to make sure that in three years, it is done," he said.
Asked whether the government would implement reservation in faculty recruitment in the CEIs, Sibal said there is no such move as of now.
The HRD Ministry had earlier asked the IITs to implement reservation in faculty recruitment, an issue vehemently opposed by the IIT directors.
"It is still on hold. I have to discuss it," Sibal said.
The government has set up eight IITs and 15 Central Universities in the last one year.
Sibal said the ministry will provide adequate grants to help the institutions get rid of their deficiencies like infrastructure and faculty.
"If there are deficiencies, we must help the institutes to get rid of them. We will address the problems," he said.
Sibal said the government was in favour of complete revamp of the education sector.
"You cannot do something overnight which will change the framework of the existing infrastructure. We need to assess in which fields it can be done, how quickly it can be done and how to bring the stakeholders on board, only then the nation moves forward," he said.