Discrepancies: Reservation Proposal
Last couple of weeks have seen a lot of anti quota protests engulf all over India, and there have been certain violence which should have not taken place, call it police brutality overreaction or agitators going over board to go against the law and order rules….but i assume for every action there is a equal and opposite reaction…so there should be something wrong and the judgement is very individual in nature.
Last week also saw pro quota protests in Delhi, Bihar and other places again there was violence and some of he journalists were injured, ask why…..the answer was the protectors of conscience and the real watch dog of democracy were biased in their media coverage….how often we have seen media trying to make or create opinions and judgements…are they acting in true spirits of journalism or are they trying to pursue what they believe in the name of journalism, this can be debatable at length.
Let’s analyse by stating the cases: in terms of their demands
Anti Quota Protests:
1. Roll back reservation
If given reservation there would be shortage of seats for those who are meritorious and there is no opportunity to showcase their talents even if they have the requisite skills; in short Right to Equality
2. Reservation would dilute Quality
If reservations are to be introduced as proposed then there would be below average students getting access to higher education and there they would fumble and even if pass would be with great difficulty.
Pro Quota Protests:
1. Need Reservation
As this would help to bridge the social balance, and as reservations would help have access to education in government institutes as private institutes are based on capitation and more so how is it fair if students who have access to education and facilities either by paying extra ( private tuitions) get better access or by the shear wealth in terms of capitations they get to have access, where as the socially backward have no such facilities firstly as most of them are from the rural or small towns where education infrastructure set up by government is in dire states.
2. Excellence can be showcased only if opportunity is give.
Reservation would not dilute quality, as if we wanted to compete with those students who have access to education and infrastructure from the day one then there needs to be the same access to infrastructure…as there is not through reservations seats can be availed in the prestigious institutes…But once there, like every one, one has to strive hard and get through else then there is no point is making so much of efforts to gain reservation, more so education is no one’s sole property.
Are there merits and de-merits in both the cases? Again the opinion is individual. As for me there is an element of truth in both the cases.
I agree there would be shortage of seats if reservations are introduced, which in my opinion would really not help those either the pro quota or anti quota students.
As for anti quota students they would need to compete for smaller number of seats even if they have the calibre they might not get an opportunity to showcase the same. For pro quota students, how many would get to have benefits from this, as only those few who can have access to quality education and infrastructure amongst you would tend to make the most as the rest even if you claim the quota and seat, would it be possible to compete in the same class and league as those of your classmates once you join these institutes, answer is very difficult as since there is no much of quality education you have access this implies and can be assumed there would be some short comings in the basic understanding or shortcomings in know-how, so this makes it difficult to compete and will be playing in the hands of the so called professors who have made up their mind from pre-historic age that only those with merit can cope and other can cope, rightly or wrongly this is a fact.
Equality, Merit and Quality have been used by the Anti-Quota protestors, is there a real sense of Equality and quality?
Whenever there is a comparison this has to be with relative terms, how can it be Equality when one gets to have access to education from the day one and special coaching to boost the current knowledge level, these coaching has not come without a cost and this cost could be tuitions are getting buying access to education through capitation fees from private educators, the majority percentage of those who claim reservation don’t get access to such facilities for most they simply cant and for few even if they can there are no opportunities, saying this there are those minority percentage of students who claim reservation get access to education either by capitation or by private educators and such people are the grouse of the matter and normally these minority have created an impression based on which the anti-quota protestors have modelled their opinions against reservation for socially balance. So the point is Equality, Merit and Quality are relative and one can’t generalise them.
Thinking of solution, is the proposed raise in 27%reservation, thus taking the total reservation to 49% a solution, answer is NO.
Government needs to understand and answer these question to define a solution to the problem which is dividing India more than what the Indian Right Wing has done over the years.
1. When those students who have no access to education and infrastructure and cant even buy themselves extra education for them, would reservation make much sense, as even though they get a seat, how effective can they be….this is very much questionable?
2. Are you not curtailing the calibre and potential of the meritorious (we can take it for say they are genuine) to showcase their talents
Starters to think for a possible solution:
1. Get the reservations back to status quo.
2. Look at how the benefits of reservation can reach the real needy; especially those in the rural sector who don’t even get to have decent education, cutting across caste lines.
3. Reservation over years has helped those few who have made use of it or the so called creamy layer in the urban sector as opposed to the rural sector.
4. Map those who are worthy and needy of reservation i.e rural students who are socially-economically backward and then define reservation. Do this on the basis of 2001 census as opposed to the 1931 census based on which Mandal Commission was modelled.
5. It is high time, Govt. education needs to be reformed and revived in the rural and urban India so there can be a fair playing ground is set in the coming 10-15yrs…
As there are so many discrepancies in the proposal, put on your thinking caps and define a solution and help save the future of India and its talent potential.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Reservation Rhetoric: Does this help anyone?
A flawed proposal and a flawed opposition
Arjun Singh has done it again, this time he has opened up a can of worms which has far reaching ramifications than that of the political corridors in Delhi, is this an indication that he is eyeing higher offices now that he knows he can never get any higher than his HRD ministry in the electoral politics; is this a first step towards taking a pot shot at the highest constitutional position of India; well only time shall answer.
Arjun Singh’s proposal to revise the existing reservation or quota system and a proposed increase in 27% reservation for ST/SC/OBC students in central educational institutions has triggered a storm of protests both pro and against it. This as actually reignited the merit-vs-caste debate in the education sector, reviving the furore Mandal Commission (Mandal commission worked on wrong understandings and adopted 1931 census rather than adopting the new 1991 census) raised in 1991.
Though there seems to be a unity in the political spectrum on the new proposal there are some uneasiness as expressed subtly by Kapil Sibal, the Science and Technology Minster. Opinions are clearly divided between those who feel that the reservations are nothing but a political gimmick, unfair on the creamy middle class of India and those who say the move will genuinely help uplift the status of the backward classes.
Does Reservation / Quota system help anyone: YES and NO.
Ø Fundamentally reservation as envisaged by our founding fathers of constitution in letter and spirit would help to bring about a change and fair playing field for those socially backward communities (read as caste, but I don’t like the usage of the word), but for this to happen we need to have the right sort of implementation and monitoring structure else we would not have been talking about reservation and quota even after 59yrs of Indian independence, though which was originally envisaged to create a free, fair and equal opportunities for every Indian.In the last 59yrs there have been incidences and situations which have hindered to bring about such a social balance, so it is high time we set things into perspective as India aspires to be the world leader in the coming years. In short the answer is a Big Yes for reservations/quota system.
Ø Arjun Singh’s proposed new rule would mean nearly 50% of seats being set aside for the socially backward communities and the rest filled by the meritorious students. It is important to reflect upon who are these socially backward communities and what is their progression over years, as reservation have been doled out for the last 59yrs and how much has this changed the social backwardness. We can still find there are many social ills that needs to be targeted and eradicated, there needs to be an answer why the reservation introduced for all these years has not made any changes into the lives of these socially backward communities who still languish in rural India, is the new proposed reservation going to help those who really need, I am afraid No, this is the reason why there is so much opposition to the proposed reservations.
But more fundamentally, it is time to think why in spite of 59yrs of reservations/quota systems we are still falling short by miles to bridge this social differences and gap in Indian society? Reservations have been doled out over years but on ground there are very few who have made use of reservations and gone onto be role models and flag bearers for their communities. Is this not the time to reflect and think why is their a disparity even after reservations have been doled out for many years? In these contexts it is worth to examine what difference could Arjun Singh’s new proposal make to bridge this gap, the answer is nothing this is just a political gimmick to progress ones of career rather than giving a new direction and making a concrete attempt to bridge this social divide.
No amount of arguments can refute the fact that the socially backward communities have faced decades of exclusion and the only way to help them catch up is to provide them economic and educational opportunities. The question, though, is whether blanket reservation in higher institutions of learning are the answer, No as this has been proved over and over again in the last 59yrs.
So is this not time to get back to basics and define the Indian spectrum and map out the ground reality on the socio-economic-cultural backwardness and try to come up with solutions that would provide equal opportunity to quality education from the fundamental level and for this to happen there needs to be a revamp in the educational infrastructure at the elementary level rather than using a top down approach.
It is very heartening to know 48 of the IAS students passed this year though have access to reservation tags have competed with the so called meritorious students and emerged from the shadows and become role models, why this is because they could get access to quality education (their parents were the first generation beneficiaries of reservation in jobs and education). These are the real role models of our society, congratulations on your achievements.
On the contrary those opposing reservation our meritorious students have adopted a flawed rather a negative approach towards opposition, by not targeting the negatives of the proposal and targeting the concept of blanket reservation.
Thus let us give more thoughts to right to access quality education to one and all (rural-urban, social-economic-culturally backward communities) and if this demands a new set of reservations let us embrace to develop a new a bright India and thus how to bridge the socio-economic-cultural backwardness rather than giving blanket reservations.
Hope and Dreams are two underlying factors for the development of youth and though them the future of India, its time we see optimism rather than sycophancy and Vision rather than political gimmick from our political establishment.
Note: The views expressed here is author's personal view and if not intended to hurnt an individual or group of individuals.
Arjun Singh has done it again, this time he has opened up a can of worms which has far reaching ramifications than that of the political corridors in Delhi, is this an indication that he is eyeing higher offices now that he knows he can never get any higher than his HRD ministry in the electoral politics; is this a first step towards taking a pot shot at the highest constitutional position of India; well only time shall answer.
Arjun Singh’s proposal to revise the existing reservation or quota system and a proposed increase in 27% reservation for ST/SC/OBC students in central educational institutions has triggered a storm of protests both pro and against it. This as actually reignited the merit-vs-caste debate in the education sector, reviving the furore Mandal Commission (Mandal commission worked on wrong understandings and adopted 1931 census rather than adopting the new 1991 census) raised in 1991.
Though there seems to be a unity in the political spectrum on the new proposal there are some uneasiness as expressed subtly by Kapil Sibal, the Science and Technology Minster. Opinions are clearly divided between those who feel that the reservations are nothing but a political gimmick, unfair on the creamy middle class of India and those who say the move will genuinely help uplift the status of the backward classes.
Does Reservation / Quota system help anyone: YES and NO.
Ø Fundamentally reservation as envisaged by our founding fathers of constitution in letter and spirit would help to bring about a change and fair playing field for those socially backward communities (read as caste, but I don’t like the usage of the word), but for this to happen we need to have the right sort of implementation and monitoring structure else we would not have been talking about reservation and quota even after 59yrs of Indian independence, though which was originally envisaged to create a free, fair and equal opportunities for every Indian.In the last 59yrs there have been incidences and situations which have hindered to bring about such a social balance, so it is high time we set things into perspective as India aspires to be the world leader in the coming years. In short the answer is a Big Yes for reservations/quota system.
Ø Arjun Singh’s proposed new rule would mean nearly 50% of seats being set aside for the socially backward communities and the rest filled by the meritorious students. It is important to reflect upon who are these socially backward communities and what is their progression over years, as reservation have been doled out for the last 59yrs and how much has this changed the social backwardness. We can still find there are many social ills that needs to be targeted and eradicated, there needs to be an answer why the reservation introduced for all these years has not made any changes into the lives of these socially backward communities who still languish in rural India, is the new proposed reservation going to help those who really need, I am afraid No, this is the reason why there is so much opposition to the proposed reservations.
But more fundamentally, it is time to think why in spite of 59yrs of reservations/quota systems we are still falling short by miles to bridge this social differences and gap in Indian society? Reservations have been doled out over years but on ground there are very few who have made use of reservations and gone onto be role models and flag bearers for their communities. Is this not the time to reflect and think why is their a disparity even after reservations have been doled out for many years? In these contexts it is worth to examine what difference could Arjun Singh’s new proposal make to bridge this gap, the answer is nothing this is just a political gimmick to progress ones of career rather than giving a new direction and making a concrete attempt to bridge this social divide.
No amount of arguments can refute the fact that the socially backward communities have faced decades of exclusion and the only way to help them catch up is to provide them economic and educational opportunities. The question, though, is whether blanket reservation in higher institutions of learning are the answer, No as this has been proved over and over again in the last 59yrs.
So is this not time to get back to basics and define the Indian spectrum and map out the ground reality on the socio-economic-cultural backwardness and try to come up with solutions that would provide equal opportunity to quality education from the fundamental level and for this to happen there needs to be a revamp in the educational infrastructure at the elementary level rather than using a top down approach.
It is very heartening to know 48 of the IAS students passed this year though have access to reservation tags have competed with the so called meritorious students and emerged from the shadows and become role models, why this is because they could get access to quality education (their parents were the first generation beneficiaries of reservation in jobs and education). These are the real role models of our society, congratulations on your achievements.
On the contrary those opposing reservation our meritorious students have adopted a flawed rather a negative approach towards opposition, by not targeting the negatives of the proposal and targeting the concept of blanket reservation.
Thus let us give more thoughts to right to access quality education to one and all (rural-urban, social-economic-culturally backward communities) and if this demands a new set of reservations let us embrace to develop a new a bright India and thus how to bridge the socio-economic-cultural backwardness rather than giving blanket reservations.
Hope and Dreams are two underlying factors for the development of youth and though them the future of India, its time we see optimism rather than sycophancy and Vision rather than political gimmick from our political establishment.
Note: The views expressed here is author's personal view and if not intended to hurnt an individual or group of individuals.
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