New Delhi: The Supreme Court stay on the OBC quota in elite educational institutions may have come as a serious blow to the Government's take on the issue, but the pro-reservation lobby is not sitting easy.
Underscoring that ''access and equity'' will be the hallmark of the Government's efforts in the field of education in the 11th five year plan, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh was quoted by agencies as saying on Tuesday that the Centre was examining all legal options for providing reservation to OBCs in the Central institutions.
The Minister made the announcement at a meeting of State Education Ministers which the HRD Ministry had convened in New Delhi on Tuesday. The meeting was to discuss the entire gamut of education.
Arjun Singh had earlier announced that the Centre would take all Constitutional measures to get the Supreme Court stay on quotas vacated.
Education Ministers from across the country gathered for the two-day meet to discuss issues like extension of Mid-Day Meal Scheme to the upper primary stage and increasing the Central Plan outlay for Secondary Education.
Issues such Universal Elementary Education, improving achievement levels of children in elementary and secondary schools, steps to be taken by states to meet their enhanced share under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in the eleventh Plan and bridging the existing gap in the participation, and achievement rates of disadvantaged groups are to be discussed.
The two-day conference will discuss among other things improving the quality of higher education, especially in State-funded colleges and Universities and establishment of polytechnics.
The recent initiatives of the Centre to extend the Mid-Day Meal scheme to upper primary level and increasing the Central plan outlay for Secondary Education would also come up for discussion.
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the flagship programme of the Ministry, and bridging the existing gap in the participation and achievement rates of disadvantaged groups such as girls, SCs, STs, minorities and the differently-abled would also figure at the meeting.
The General Body meeting of NCERT which comprises the Education Ministries from states would also be held.
(With agency inputs)
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