THE scuttling of the Educational Tribunals Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, after objections were raised against it by Opposition members, as also some from the Congress party, reflects the ham- handed manner in which the United Progressive Alliance government goes about its business. It may have been somewhat surprising that Bharatiya Janata Party MPs opposed the Bill's passage after the party allowed it to be passed in the Lok Sabha earlier, but this only goes to show that deep vested interests with political links are at work in the education sector.
As for the criticism leveled in the House against Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal by Congress member Keshav Rao, it is yet another instance of poor floor management by the ruling party. Mr Rao has a right to his views but as a senior party functionary he is surely not supposed to take on the role of an insurgent in Parliament.
Perhaps Mr Sibal is a man in too much of a hurry. A house standing committee had raised several objections to the Bill last month but instead of giving them a serious consideration, Mr Sibal tried to ram the Bill through Parliament.
Of particular significance was the committee's recommendation for ' wider consultation' with concerned stakeholders before the Bill became law.
There is no denying that a need for educational tribunals for adjudicating on disputes between different parties has been felt for long. And neither can it be denied that the plethora of private institutions set up as business ventures are in urgent need of regulation.
But Mr Sibal and his party need much better floor management to ensure that they can push through the required reforms and regulatory structure in Parliament.
