Justice146;s new phase

What The Sunday Express found out via a right to information application the government surely knew already8212;that extra quotas in higher education would be less problematic, both from the point of view of interest group conflicts and perhaps also standards, if the supply of seats increases manifold. From that premise it is clear that the Arjun Singh plan must be implemented in phases. Institutions like IIMs have already pointed out the complexity of simultaneously increasing intake and maintaining quality. The story would be the same for IITs and medical and science institutions.

There8217;s also the question of cost since higher education is heavily subsidised. There8217;s zero chance of the political class taking this opportunity to restructure college and university fees since true cost education services mitigated by student loans and scholarships do not meet the test of 8220;social justice8221;. Therefore a one-time big jump in seat numbers would present, to put it mildly, a formidable fiscal commitment. The Sunday Express had also quoted Moily committee figures that estimate upwards Rs 3 crore per additional medical student over a five-year course. Although the cost to exchequer is in lakhs per head for engineering, management and other professional courses, no finance minister would like to contemplate the effect of the total bill on a single budget. It is necessary to mention and answer a standard counterargument here8212;that India doesn8217;t spend enough on education and that more money spent to actualise quotas is therefore all right. The argument, like education policy for the last six decades, misses the primary education imperative. India needs a revolution in primary education delivery if its demographic advantage8212;more young than old in the population8212;is to pay economic dividends. That revolution will need innovative ideas8212;and money.

So, the choice before the Congress is clear. Get everyone, the Opposition included, on board and manufacture a consensus on phased quota implementation. If some allies appear obstreperous the Congress will have to find the combination of toughness and persuasiveness that deserted it during, say, the disinvestment controversy.