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OBCs Join Study Quota:HOW DO WE SPELL MERIT?,by Poonam I Kaushish,12 April 2008 Print E-mail

POLITICAL DIARY

New Delhi, 12 April 2008

OBCs Join Study Quota

HOW DO WE SPELL MERIT?

By Poonam I Kaushish

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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