Topper trials

Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal doggedly continues to push his vision of a unified education policy

Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal doggedly continues to push his vision of a unified education policy. The flurry of reforms has certainly brought the education sector back into the limelight. This, after a prolonged spell of languishing well behind economic reforms. While some of Sibal's pet projects -- abolishing class X exams, for instance -- have been accepted without too much resistance, he may not find the going easy in some other items on his education agenda.

Dilli is now talking about the minister's plan to introduce a common maths and science course for all schools from next year to ensure a level playing field for students. But Sibal's plan to have a single entrance exam for engineering and medical students from 2013 is yet to find favour with premier institutions like IIT and AIIMS. He may well find that it was easier to cajole an Aamir Khan to stay on the copyrights panel than to win the trust and confidence of students as well as educationists. But try he will, and win he must.

Snub versus rub
Those fretting about the Commonwealth Games to be held in Dilli later this year have every reason to fume at the dug-up roads, unfinished stadia and incomplete flyovers everywhere. And, to unsettle things further, Dilliwalas are being entertained with delightful distractions from the petty power games of those at the helm.

Power games, of course, are Dilli's favourite sport. So, naturally, these are on display even in the run-up to the games when the entire focus should be on getting the infrastructure up and running. But the sniping continues, appropriately enough, over things that go beyond a shooting range. An official from PMO was "fired" too, rather publicly.

The range in question was inaugurated last month, but tongues wagged when Suresh Kalmadi, chief of the Games, was snubbed by organisers. This time at the "event", Sports Minister M S Gill was conspicuous in his absence at the opening of what was a shooting championship. Clearly, we are yet to hear the last shot in this unfolding drama of snub versus rub.

"Image Guru" Dilip Cherian is part time spin doc and full time analyst of issues, food, cities. He awaits your tweet @DILIPtheCHERIAN.

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