Under attack from within the party, Sibal today signalled a retreat, saying that he will not be “pushing down (these proposals) anybody’s throat” and will be calling all “stakeholders” for a “dialogue” in the coming weeks. Claiming he was not “going back” on his commitments, Sibal told reporters that while he was not in a hurry, some of the reactions seemed to have been in a hurry. For now, he would seek to carry forward his initiatives only in the CBSE board.

Maharashtra Education Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil expressed strong reservations against the Centre’s proposal for a uniform board.

“The state will definitely like to see the draft. There are so many issues involved — state’s culture, history, language, etc. In board examinations, we cannot compromise on Marathi language. The state should be consulted. Why should you have a centralised system of education? Education is the responsibility of the state. Why are you taking it out? “ Vikhe-Patil told The Indian Express over phone. On the move to make the Class X examination optional, he said that the Maharashtra government would first want to go through a draft of any such proposal before making a comment.

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Secondary School & Intermediate Education D Manikya Varaprasada said the state government was studying the Yashpal Committee recommendations. “But we want to continue the Class X board examination. Some sort of an examination is required. We want to examine his proposals. We will come to Delhi soon and discuss the issue,” Varaprasada said.

Haryana Education Minister Mange Ram Gupta said, “He (Sibal) has made some proposals. It is his view, not ours. When he calls a meeting of state ministers, we will see.” Pressed on his government’s stance, he said, “If I say no, you will say we are opposing the Central minister. Why should I say that?”

Rajasthan Education Minister Master Bhanwarlal said: “We are examining the proposals. But our secondary education board is the No. 1 board in the entire country. We must think about it. The (Central) government should think about it.” He said the state government had no plans to scrap the Class X examination.

Assam Education Minister Akon Bora said the state government was yet to take a stance on Sibal’s proposals. “Whatever Sibal has said is through the media. There is no final decision. There is no instruction from the Centre. They have to first discuss with states. It (Sibal’s proposals) is not very easy,” he told The Indian Express.

Congress-ruled states are also concerned about the proposed Foreign University Bill which Sibal is trying to push.

Andhra Pradesh Higher Education Minister D Sridhar Babu said, “Before we take up the issue of private foreign universities, we have to equip our state universities and Central universities in the state to bring up academic standards. At all levels, there has to be a level-playing field. There are so many issues. The poor, lower middle class and deprived people cannot afford these foreign universities. As long as their interest is protected, we have no problems. The Chief Minister is open about it. The Centre has not asked us yet. It comes under the Concurrent List. The state government always has the option to go for it or not go for it.” Babu also said that the Andhra Pradesh government was not in favour of abolishing its intermediate board “as of now”.

Vikhe-Patil of Maharashtra said there had to be “careful consideration” before inviting foreign universities. “Our only request is that the state’s views should be taken. But definitely any positive change is welcome. We should not compromise the country’s basic education policy. We have become a super power without bringing in foreign universities,” he said.

Facing opposition on the move to make the Class X examination optional, Sibal, meanwhile, said his initiatives would be limited to the CBSE board as he did not have power over the state boards. “I will talk to teachers, parents, students, school managements in the first 100 days about the initiatives and get their feedback,” he said.

Asked if he would wait for a consensus before implementing these initiatives, he said, “No, there can never be 100 per cent consensus. But we will start dialogue with everyone.”

Sibal cited a number of recommendations and guidelines, including the National Curriculum Framework-2005 and the CBSE affiliation bye-laws, which say that the Class X examination should be made optional and the marks-based system should be replaced by “grades”. He said if all goes well, the grading system as well as the “optional” Class X examination initiatives could be implemented from 2010.