Tis' all a farce !!
In an era witnessing concerted efforts in dissolving all barriers of discrimination, the Indian government bowls the entire student fraternity over with its Mandal II proposition.
I had wanted my first blog to be non-critical and abstract, but it seems we can all agree - thats not gonna happen! For long I have been an avid critique of the Indian education system, but just as one starts expecting that matters can't get any worse, the system pulls one mean trick right out of the hat. Before delving into any further discussion on the topic I just want the reader to know that this is a grudge I have against the system and not held personally with any individual or group. Anyhow, I do hope after reading this article you ponder over the credibilty of the points and how they measure up to your views :) .
It has been often stated that the reservation quota is to allow for the backward classes to be able to avail academic and employment opportunities which are otherwise not accessible to them. To this effect two major steps have been taken thus far - lowering the admission bar for candidates of "reserved" categories and reserving a sizeable number of seats for the same. Before we get all judgemental that its a step in the right direction and all sorts of balogne, I'd like to draw attention to a few points.
Lowering the admission bar ensures that under-achievers get through, which backfires since these candidates suffer by not being able to compete in the same arena as their colleagues who got through on the basis of merit only; the end result being humiliation and lack of self-respect. If anything, it only broadens the gap between the reserved and general categories as a feeling of animosity starts to bud in the midst of all the discrimination and embarassment.
Since most backward factions are primarily concerned with the monetary factor of not being able to afford the education, how does it help by increasing the number of seats for the same? It is absolutely ridiculous since the system isn't giving these economically under-privileged groups an opportunity to afford the tuition fee and at the same time you're disallowing deserving candidates to gain admission due to the inappropriate distribution of number of seats. So one has to first analyse what the priorities of such groups are - money or seats - and only then can one take a reasonable decision.
Most of the reservation system has been aimed at central universities. Has the government not overlooked the condition of primary education - how many children from the under-privileged classes attend primary schooling? If the basic fundamentals are not spread to the masses what good would it do to benefit only a select few? One may consider the possiblity that the same reservation system may be extended to schools but as stated above, it is not a remedy, it is rather a deperate attempt at increasing the vote bank and washing their hands of a significant issue through such makeshift measures.
By increasing the number of seats and making it easier for the candidates of a reserved category to seek admission to some of the premier institutes of India, are we not discouraging these students from learning and competing for a respectable position. By easing the whole procedure, the reserved candidate won't even bother preparing well for the exam because he/she would very well know that even a very small/negligible effort would reap rich dividends. It is absolutely hilarious to learn that in the past IITs have taken reserved category students who have actually scored '0' in their joint entrance exams. Are we not encouraging such irresponsible candidates and endangering our future by making them believe that just by their ancestral linkage they can procure anything they desire?
The politicians talk of reaching to the masses and providing equal opportunities to all by the way of such reservation quotas. My question to them is a simple one - if you can allow reserved category candidates to become doctors and engineers by producing sub-standard results, then why do you refer to doctors outside our country for advice on your own personal problems? Why the hell does VP Singh get treatment from abroad, does he doubt the capabilities of the same doctor whom he so proudly allowed admission only on the basis of his "caste" and nothing else? Think people!! Don't just get carried away with the talk of patriotism and humanity posed by these two-faced suck-ups.
I could go on forever, but I guess the above should be enough to get someone thinking as to what might have been missed when passing a judgement on the issue. Again I do not want people to agree or disagree, just to open up their minds and view the situation in a broader perspective, especially my comrades for whom this proposition has been presented - do you want to be counted out as belonging to a particular "reserved" category? Do you always want to be singled out as a pitiful case - what has happened to all the talk of equality and no caste-based discrimination - did it only hurt when you were at the receiving end of it - is it not inappropriate now that undue advantage is being offered? I belong to a middle-class family and all I'd like to say to finish this discussion is that whatever be the reservation scenario, its always the "general" middle-class that bears the brunt of it all.
