Cracking the reservation riddle

When talking of reservation in educational institutions, I believe we have to create a situation where no deserving student is denied an opportunity to get educated. Unfortunately we are nowhere close to this ideal situation. In fact what we have is a situation where the demand far exceeds the supply in almost all fields of study, be it medicine, engineering, management or law. Our goal should be to have so many vacancies that reservations become irrelevant. Just think back to the time as late as the early 8217;90s when LPG and phone connections were tough to access because of supply shortages. Once they were available in abundance, the premium and black market for them also disappeared. Similarly, having enough number of good institutions that can absorb all those who wish to pursue higher degrees will rid us of the problem of having to ration admissions.

Nowadays most young people of this country may not discriminate on the basis of birth, and people are beginning to see the irrelevance of caste in our modern-day lives. But the truth is, the baggage of our caste system is still very much with us. One may not see this glass ceiling in the bright lights of our metros but travel 30 km out in any direction away from these cities and we can find the caste barriers standing firm. The caste system prevalent for over three thousand years might be somewhat weakened but is still to be seen everywhere.

We still need a framework where those who have been socially and economically sidelined for centuries are able to visualise themselves as being capable enough of receiving the best of what our system has to offer. We can argue about the details of how much to reserve, what percentage, what is too much and what is right, but it is more important to understand the fundamental need and importance of such measures. We have to demonstrate by our actions that in this country a young student from a small town has a chance to sit and study with the best without having the cash or connections. The OBCs have now been given reservation in higher education. No one really knows what their actual numbers are, the last caste based census was conducted in 1931. But based on various indicators it is estimated that the OBCs constitute about 55 per cent or over half of our population. Clearly competition is immense; and given a situation where the chances of admission of a public school educated student in a city backed by expensive tuition and coaching classes are so slim, what is the possibility that those who have no access to such resources can actually get into a top institute?

There is a need to extend and enhance our support system, so that we do not end up having even if unintentionally an exclusionist society. But does that mean we have to necessarily compromise on merit? I don8217;t think we have to, because I do not agree with those who say that the entire population of the so-called 8216;reserved category8217; lacks competence.

In fact I would argue that not all those who are able to dish out the huge sums needed to get admitted are all competent and deserving students. Also, once a student secures admission into an institution, he or she has to sit for the same examinations and pass them, irrespective of the category under which they got admitted. But I also believe that we have to have an upper limit on how many times one can sit for the examinations and that limit should apply to all students.

The solution lies in expanding our educational infrastructure starting right from primary school upwards and we ought to do this on a war footing. Why can8217;t we create more Manipals and Punes? Why can8217;t each state in India have two IITs and three IIMs? Recently I noticed on one of the many English news channels an SMS poll of the audience on whether we should have reservations. The results showed that close to 80 per cent said 8216;no8217;. Hardly unpredictable, because I don8217;t imagine most of our SC, ST, or OBC population watching the news and using their mobiles to get their perspective registered.

Another challenge is in ensuring that only the truly needy make use of these reservation opportunities. If an individual has availed himself of the benefits of reservation and prospered, then his dependents should not be entitled to any reservation privileges. Therefore, even though I belong to the OBC community, it would be improper for my children to be admitted to an institution on grounds other than merit because they would have had all the necessary resources at their disposal to secure their own future. I think the solution lies in finding a middle ground between meritorious students not getting left out and a situation where those who have been neglected for centuries are given the systemic support to realise their dreams and aspirations.

One option could be to introduce the reservations in a phased but time-bound manner that coincides with the growth and increased capacity of our education infrastructure. This will ensure that as we make our educational landscape more representative we also do not deny opportunities to any hard working and deserving student. It is my sincere hope that in the days to come we will be able to provide good schools, teachers and infrastructure to all, so that ours will be the last generation that has to ponder over this riddle of reservation.

The writer is a Congress MP in the Lok Sabhaeditorexpressindia.com