Sunday, April 16, 2006

Not too many

This is in response to the the recent announcements from the Ministry of Human Resources and Development regarding reservation of 27% for OBC's in all seats n institutes of higher education being centrally funded . Reservations have often been the centre of discussion owing to the polemical results such decisions might force upon the nation.

The current hike in reservation in premier institutes like the IITs and the IIMs pushes the current figure to a startling 49.5 %. These institutes, held highly as the temples of knowledge, are reputed to create the finest individuals every year. Induction of reservations in such a meritocratic scenario would only hinder their actual sacrosanct motive from being accomplished. The move to increase reservations is likely to jeopardize the future of many students who might lose out in the race only on the basis of caste, ironically, in a knowledge-driven society like ours.

We are currently poised in a place where India is on the verge of being recognized as a global centre for knowledge. It would be sad to see such a projection retrogress from the current reputation to a bad one. Where agony still prevails over the efficiency of reservations for over a period of 50 years, it should not be strange that the efficacy of a decision to set aside a few more valuable seats in these institutions is highly dubitable, specially considering the amount of effort that goes into procuring an admission in these institutions. Our strong conviction is that by introducing an increase in the current 'reserved quota' we are going against the very promise of 'equality' that it is meant to fulfill.

We also strongly believe that there are better ways to approach a problem and hope to resolve this plaguing dilemma by pragmatic measures. The whole concept of reservation serves its purpose if someone who's been gainsaid an opportunity to study has been offered a seat instead. If a candidate has already worked hard enough to reach a stage where he's qualifed to attempt the examinations necessary to get into these premier institutes (suggesting that he had been offered education equally well throughout all the previous years), it is clearly not a case of 'denied opportunity'. While the fear of exploitation of such a gambit still lurks over the future citizens of our country, we suggest that minimizing the chasm between urban and rural areas by focussing on improvement of infrastructure, quality of education and reservations only at primary levels of education will enhance and ameliorate the situation to a bright and prospective future.

Our motive is to ensure a healthy competition and provide equal opportunities for all.

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