In May 2009, Shri Sibal was appointed as Minister of Human Resource Development. In that capacity, he has initiated several ground-breaking reforms in education, including the historic guarantee of the right to free and compulsory elementary education to every child, which became a reality under his stewardship. His vision is to universalise access to quality secondary education by the year 2020 and higher education has seen a significant overhaul in its governance and regulatory structures, with the drafting of seven different legislations.

Before taking up his role as Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Sibal was Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences in 2004 and elevated to Cabinet rank in the same Ministry in the year 2006. As a Minister for Science & Technology, Shri Sibal gave a new direction to the efforts of the scientific community and developed several policies for inculcating a scientific temper amongst youth and attracting talent to research in sciences.

Shri Sibal is the former Additional Solicitor General of India and was the designated Spokesperson of the Indian National Congress in three separate years. He was nominated as a Member of the Governing Body of St. Stephen’s College and the Member of the Board of Management of the Indira Gandhi National Open University in 1993.