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POLITICAL DIARY
OBCs Join Study Quota
HOW DO WE SPELL MERIT?
By Poonam I Kaushish
New Delhi, April 15, 2008
Ever wonder why the champions of Reservation Raj, our
politicos don’t ever talk about reserving 50 per cent seats in
Parliament and the State Legislatures for the SCs, STs and
OBCs? Why stop at that. How about having at least 27 per cent
reserved ministerial posts? The answer? Our netagan simply
don’t want to slice their cake. After all, politics is all
about conning the electorate, skimming their votes with ‘feel
good’ populism and sound bites. Failing to realize that a time
may come when the move could boomerang.
Clearly, the landmark judgment by the Five-judge Constitution
Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balkrishna, upholding 27 per
cent quota for other backward classes (OBCs) in Central
Government institutions of higher education has done a fine
balancing act between the anti-reservation lobby and the
pro-reservation politicos by playing both ends against the
middle. Leaving both disgruntled.
Our caste crazy netagan who have built their career edifice by
practising Backward politics, are livid that the “creamy
layer” among the OBCs (their brood, children of judges, Class
I and II babus et al and those earning Rs 2.5 lakh annually)
have been excluded from deriving the benefits of such
reservation. Three judges were also against extending the
benefits of reservation beyond graduation level. If this
interpretation stays, the OBCs will not get reservation in
either the IIMs, AIIMS or in other postgraduate courses.
Justified Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, “if the creamy layer
is included it would be unreasonable, discriminatory or
arbitrary, resulting in reverse discrimination.”
The verdict has knocked the bottom of the time-worn system of
having purely all caste-based quotas. One, because it went
against the tenets of Article 15(1) (prohibits discrimination
on the ground of caste…) of the Constitution Two, the Court
felt that unless the creamy layer (forwards among the Backward
Classes) was excluded from the caste group, there could not be
a proper identification of the socially and educationally
backward classes (SEBC) based on poverty which need to be
economically and socially uplifted.
Three, for the caste-fixated politicos the verdict is totally
out-of-sync with their greed for power. Specially when they
can reap a political windfall of over 70 per cent votes via
reservation. See how they are all busy finding ways to get the
creamy layer included by raising the income limit and getting
post graduate institutions included. Never mind if it pushes
India back by a century.
True, the Apex Court needs to be lauded for it’s affirmation
of the principle of positive discrimination in favour of the
SEBCs while rejecting that social backwardness was a direct
function of one’s caste status. As also calling for a review
of the OBC quota list every five years.
However, the anti-reservation lobby led by the Youth for
Equality is very unhappy. Whatever happened to merit and
excellence? When does justice supercede competence? What about
the Prime Minister’s much-touted Knowledge Commission?
Questionably, is reservation an end in itself? Has any
objective study been done to find out whether those provided
reservation have gained or continued to lose? How does it
better the lot of the ‘deprived’ if a few persons get educated
or get jobs?
Look at the grim truth. Fifty per cent of the reserved seats
of the IITs remain vacant (even the much lower entry marks
were not secured by the students). Worse, after completing a
Preparatory Course, many students continue to be unprepared
for the intense competition and 'grading on a curve' that they
are thrown into. And 25 per cent of those who joined were
forced to quit as they were unable to complete the four-year
course even in six years! A recent survey points that 23.5 per
cent college seats are already with the OBC's on merit. Why
then the need for reservations?
Not only that. The Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of SC &
ST (1995-2000) noted that in Delhi University between 50 per
cent of the under-grad SC seats and 66 per cent ST remained
unfilled. As per the University Grants Commission, 1.2 lakh
reserved category seats remain vacant at the higher education
levels and 40 per cent of reserved category teaching staff
posts remain unoccupied. It stands to reason why increase the
reserved seats if they go wasted? Is this good use of the
taxpayer's money?
Since higher education is costly, who will foot the reserved
students’ tuition fees? Specially against the backdrop that
nearly Rs 450 billion is spent on professional courses,
including medical, dental and engineering. According to an
academician, over 85,000 seats remained vacant in the
engineering stream during 2003-04 in DU. And, in Karnataka
alone, 400 seats in dental colleges remained unfilled.
Less said the better about the teaching staff. Are our
politicians aware that over 500 vacancies exist in the
reserved teachers’ quota for colleges simply because no
candidate could pass the Merit Eligibility Test.? In
Karnataka, at least four Government colleges don’t have 60 per
cent of the required staff because they failed the eligibility
test. Instead of going into the cause, the Centre is now
thinking of changing the MET itself to help unsuccessful
teachers meet the eligibility. With future teachers such as
these, God help our education.
At the same time, none has given a thought to the demoralising
impact on the psyche of the qualified individuals denied
admission to these colleges. What happens to them? Where do
they head? In fact, the verdict in one sense seems to concur
with the views of the anti-reservationists. It has raised
questions on the effectiveness of such a policy for bringing
equality in the society. Specially, as even after six decades
of a reservation policy thanks to caste politics the
objectives have not been achieved.
As it stands today, there is no deletion in the list of OBCs,
instead it goes on increasing. Thus raising a doubt whether
anyone is truly interested in removing the inequality? All
seem to have forgotten that the Father of the Constitution,
Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted to do away with the quota policy
after ten years. Needless to say, this Mandal II has reignited
the merit vs. quota debate. Once implemented, the new policy
would take the overall reservation in the Central
Government-funded higher education institutions to 49.5 per
cent from the current 22.5 (for SC and ST students).
Post liberalization and in the environs of an increasingly
competitive global village, the thirst for education has gone
up by over 10-15 per cent. In Bihar alone, educational
institutions have opened in every mohalla and gali. But is
reservation the answer for bridging the gap between the demand
and supply for education? Given the onslaught of expanding
students and a shrinking education pie.
No, most certainly not. The danger in imposing arbitrary
quotas on admissions to educational institutions is
three-fold. One, academic standards would suffer as
institutions would no longer be able to admit the
highest-scoring students. Two, it would be difficult to
attract and retain good faculty, who is likely to get
frustrated with a poor standard of students. Three, any
deterioration in the quality of education which reflects in
short-changing Brand India could jeopardize our remarkable
story of economic growth.
Importantly, the Government needs to develop new and
innovative ways of providing basic primary education for the
backward classes to enable them to compete on an equal footing
for merit-based admission to universities. By trying to play
catch-up at the college level and cramming down of quotas on
education institutions is like putting the cart before the
horse.
Look at the absurdity. A recent survey by an NGO showed only
52 per cent students were attending schools in Bihar and 60
per cent in Rajasthan, UP, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa and
Madhya Pradesh. Also, 44 per cent children in public schools
in Std II to V couldn’t read simple paragraphs. Nearly five
per cent couldn’t do two-digit subtraction sums and in Std VI
to VII 40 per cent were unable to handle simple division
problems. None know whether the UPA’s flagship, the Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan is actually resulting in kids getting better
education.
True, the Government’s fundamental mission is to provide
education for all and uplift the poor and backward classes.
However, it needs to remember that the system of caste-based
quotas has become divisive and self-defeating. Reservations
are no answer to improving the lot of the OBCs. It will only
further divide our people on caste lines and increase the
divide between the haves and have-nots. As Ambedkar said, “If
you want different societies to come together, I think it is
time that we decide that the use of the word ‘caste’ be
banned.” Else reconcile to becoming a nation of mediocrity!
--- INFA
(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)
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