What's the one thing that pertains in every part of the world for decades and centuries long and changes form with time? It would be hard to dispute that this dangerously prevalent "thing" is stratification. We are all too familiar with stratification based on factors such as economic capacity, class into which one is born etc., so much so that the statement " All men are created equal" never seemed more obsolete. Even if they were, the present state of the world would ensure that they aren't treated as equals. As a consequence, we constantly find ourselves in pursuit of a social mobility, moving up the ranks to the superior, more dominant class. What intrigues me is how this idea of an existing social inequality, eventually leads to a desire to move up the social ranks has impacted several important factors; in particular, education.
The Indian higher education system has always been known to be akin to a rigorous rat race, where only the best of the best survive the onslaught of the many examinations thrown at them. With a system like this, anyone would expect to churn out high-achieving candidates year after year. Yet, what it doesn't take into account is the disparity in access to basic education for students. A significant portion of India's student population even today; either reside in downtrodden areas that have been overlooked or are financially incapable of granting themselves a good education, either due to monetary limitations or caste-based discrimination. Thus, they might not just be spending nights under lamps preparing for their exams, they might also have to take up odd jobs to make their ends meet. How about the wealthy, affluent kids then? They get to go to the best schools, get tutored in addition to regular schooling; can afford to buy more books and also have resources such as the internet to enhance their chances of making it big. Totally unfair right?
Reservation is the solution that the government proposed to quell this conflict between the privileged and the under-privileged students. In other words, it is that missing link in the system that would finally even the field. The following table reflects the typical caste-based reservation profile for entry into institutions :
What this table essentially represents is an opportunity for students from the repressed groups to resume their career aspirations by earning a college degree. So, while this move by the government alleviates the issues faced by these students, it reduces the chances of those that do not belong to those groups. A direct consequence of this stand taken by the government has been insane minimum requirements for students who aren't guarded by reservation. So a student not from one of the groups listed above would have to get a score of around 10-20% better than a student who was from those groups, to be admitted to the same university, for the same program! Is this not unfair to the students from the latter category?
The ideal question to ask is how one would deal with a double edged sword like the reservation policy being implemented at present, in Indian education. Amidst all of the debate regarding this issue it is quite obvious that the central aim of improving education has been ignored. If for once, as suggested in the controversial movie "Arakshan" which translates to reservation; authorities looked at ways to improve the standards of education for the less fortunate students, the issue of unequal resources could be dealt with and so would the issue of unfairness. Be it by establishing remedial coaching centers, or providing cheaper computers to these students, the Indian education system needs to be rethought and planned with the best interests' of both groups of students in mind.
Here is a video of a debate involving the cast of Arakshan that explains the reservation system in Indian education in a nutshell :
Here are some articles describing different opinions' on the same :
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/08/16/economics-journal-dont-scrap-reservation-improve-education/
http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles/India-reservation.asp
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/ncrschool2012-rte-topstories/What-s-so-bad-about-reservations/Article1-922892.aspx
The Indian higher education system has always been known to be akin to a rigorous rat race, where only the best of the best survive the onslaught of the many examinations thrown at them. With a system like this, anyone would expect to churn out high-achieving candidates year after year. Yet, what it doesn't take into account is the disparity in access to basic education for students. A significant portion of India's student population even today; either reside in downtrodden areas that have been overlooked or are financially incapable of granting themselves a good education, either due to monetary limitations or caste-based discrimination. Thus, they might not just be spending nights under lamps preparing for their exams, they might also have to take up odd jobs to make their ends meet. How about the wealthy, affluent kids then? They get to go to the best schools, get tutored in addition to regular schooling; can afford to buy more books and also have resources such as the internet to enhance their chances of making it big. Totally unfair right?
Reservation is the solution that the government proposed to quell this conflict between the privileged and the under-privileged students. In other words, it is that missing link in the system that would finally even the field. The following table reflects the typical caste-based reservation profile for entry into institutions :
SC and SC Converts to Buddhism | 13.0% | ||
| STs | 7.0% | ||
| Vimukta Jati | 3.0% | ||
| Nomadic Tribes (NTI) | 2.5% | ||
| Nomadic Tribes (NT2) | 3.5% | ||
| Nomadic Tribes (NT3) | 2.0% | ||
| OBC(Other Backward Castes) | 19.0% | ||
| Total | 50.0% |
What this table essentially represents is an opportunity for students from the repressed groups to resume their career aspirations by earning a college degree. So, while this move by the government alleviates the issues faced by these students, it reduces the chances of those that do not belong to those groups. A direct consequence of this stand taken by the government has been insane minimum requirements for students who aren't guarded by reservation. So a student not from one of the groups listed above would have to get a score of around 10-20% better than a student who was from those groups, to be admitted to the same university, for the same program! Is this not unfair to the students from the latter category?
The ideal question to ask is how one would deal with a double edged sword like the reservation policy being implemented at present, in Indian education. Amidst all of the debate regarding this issue it is quite obvious that the central aim of improving education has been ignored. If for once, as suggested in the controversial movie "Arakshan" which translates to reservation; authorities looked at ways to improve the standards of education for the less fortunate students, the issue of unequal resources could be dealt with and so would the issue of unfairness. Be it by establishing remedial coaching centers, or providing cheaper computers to these students, the Indian education system needs to be rethought and planned with the best interests' of both groups of students in mind.
Here is a video of a debate involving the cast of Arakshan that explains the reservation system in Indian education in a nutshell :
Here are some articles describing different opinions' on the same :
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/08/16/economics-journal-dont-scrap-reservation-improve-education/
http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles/India-reservation.asp
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/ncrschool2012-rte-topstories/What-s-so-bad-about-reservations/Article1-922892.aspx
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