See bigger revolution than telecom in edu: Kapil Sibal

Excerpts from India Tonight on CNBC-TV18 Watch the full show » RELATED NEWS Why is education sector attracting money, experts find out Kapil Sibal shifts onus of education to the government Education must be given priority sector status: Kapil Sibal

The Union Cabinet has cleared the bill for the entry of foreign education providers. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal spoke about the new education bill, which he hopes the government will make into a law soon.

Here is a verbatim transcript of the interview. Also watch the accompanying video.

Q: You have said a larger revolution than even in the telecom sector now awaits us, is that euphoria and exaggeration or do you really mean it?

A: The space is huge. There are millions of children who don't go to school. There are millions of children who don't get quality education. There are only 12 children out of 100 in the age group of 18-24 who reach college and 88 children do not reach college. Any developed nation must have a minimum of 40 children to provide the critical mass for the university system. So, you have to increase the number of children passing class 12 from 12 out of 100 to 40 out of 100. That will increase the space in higher education. If that is filled up, it is a bigger revolution than the telecom revolution.

Q: In a sense you are saying to me that this is path-breaking?

A: Absolutely.

Q: Let us first tackle a few technical questions and then come to the sort of world that this could usher in. To begin with, when will the bill be introduced in Parliament?

A: We hope the opposition will understand the national interest involved and support investment for foreign education.