The high-profile National Knowledge Commission (NKC) is expected to witness fireworks when it meets for a three-day meeting in Bangalore from tomorrow to discuss the hot-button “affirmative action’’ in the Education sector. In the wake of HRD minister Arjun Singh’s controversial announcement to extend 27% reservations to OBCs, the Knowledge Commission—which reports directly to the PM and has education reforms as one of its key agendas—will take up the issue over the next three days. Sources in NKC said the matter will be discussed under the agenda item, ‘‘access to knowledge.’’ The Commission, according to a member, does not believe in putting up a facade of ‘‘false consensus’’ on such important issues. ‘‘Every member is entitled to his or her opinion, so there will be a free exchange of ideas,’’ the member told The Indian Express. Insiders said the NKC members will prepare a comprehensive document on education for the underprivileged groups. ‘‘The document will look beyond the quota-based approach and examine issues of access for underprivileged groups to primary and secondary education which would improve chances of entry into premier institutions,’’ said one of them. Sources said they are also working towards proposing systems like merit-based scholarships, points and grades depending on economic and social backwardness and financial help to the needy. “Some papers will also be presented by the members in this regard, before a public position on the quotas is taken,’’ the source said. The commission’s meeting will be attended by all members including Pitroda, Mehta, Ghosh, vice-chairperson P M Bhargava, Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani, Delhi University’s ex-VC Deepak Nayyar, Chairman of ICICI One Source limited Ashok Ganguly and ICSSR chairman Andre Beteille. It will also come up with its first report on e-governance. The divide is evident within the NKC on the issue, as was first reported by The Indian Express—after the controversial quota announcement was made. Consider these. • NKC Member-Convenor Pratap Bhanu Mehta had on April 6 termed OBC quotas as a ‘‘very distressing development’’ and had said that ‘‘there is no point having a NKC, if we don’t take a stand on this issue’’. ‘‘IITs are already facing severe faculty shortages, and to simply increase the number of seats will have serious adverse consequences. It shows the extent to which these institutions are being subjected to the (HRD) ministry’s own political and intellectual predilections.’’ He had proposed to the NKC members to ‘‘send a short letter to PM registering our protest’’. • Another NKC member Jayati Ghosh, a JNU professor of Economics, however didn’t approve of Mehta’s views. She wrote back to the members to record her ‘‘dissent’’ on this issue. “I disagree on this matter,” she wrote. “If such a letter is indeed sent, I would like to insist that my dissent be explicitly recorded in the letter, in an easily visible manner. I would also like to see the letter before it is finally sent.’’ n On April 8, NKC’s chairman Sam Pitroda told The Indian Express: “It (the Arjun Singh’s plan) came as a news to me.it’s a very important issue. This is a step fraught with long-term implications.’’ On whether it was a correct step taken by the HRD ministry, Pitroda had said: ‘‘We definitely need more discussion and debate on this issue. We, as a commission, will be taking a collective view on this only after we meet.’’ He had said that the panel would prepare a paper in 90 days. PG medical: No quota for SC, ST this time • Clearing confusion over admission to PG medical courses under the all-India quota, the Supreme Court on Friday vacated its interim order extending 10 pc reservation to SC/STs after the Centre gave an undertaking to provide reservation in the coming year. • Lalu Prasad Yadav says he is not averse to reservation, up to ‘‘5-10 per cent’’, for children from the upper castes shubhajit.roy@expressindia.com
