Lot has already been said, debated, scientifically analyzed, contemplated, fought and even blood spilled over this critical issue which has taken this country (especially the youth) by storm. While writing/speaking over it, I am still to see a single person who does not get emotionally charged (for whatever reason) and I am no exception to it. Reading through all their reasoning and arguments, I have tried to present my take on the issue.
The Intention –
1. Among the first ‘Reservations’ introduced in India by the British were to the Muslims to woo them to fulfill political intentions. And no one can deny the disastrous effect of this division in the society.
2. Under Gandhi’s guidance and Ambedkar’s leadership, India decided to experiment with a similar, already failed system to uplift the socially outcast, “Harijans”, but with some really good intentions backing it up.
3. Generations changed and so did the intentions. The experiment had opened up a Pandora’s Box, for the Politicians to manipulate over the next half of the century which took a monstrous shape first in 1991 and then in 2006.
4. No rational and sane person can deny the fact that backward caste people are still socially discriminated in this IT hub of the world. At heart we all agree that poverty, untouchability and illiteracy need to be rooted out to make this country a better place.
The Problem –
1. The Legacy: In this land of Hero worshiper’s we cannot accept the fact that our heroes are also humans, liable to make mistakes. Gandhi’s and Ambedkar’s experiment failed and it failed for the same reasons which lead to the making of Pakistan. But no one dared pull the plug. Why??? Because, how can ‘Gandhi’ be wrong? How can ‘Ambedkar’ go wrong? Faltering of heroes is equivalent in India is equivalent to blasting off of the Bamiyan Buddha or Public burning of Quran – a sacrilege. And thus in 60s ‘Reservations’ were made permanent.
2. Politics: Unfortunately, India’s problem today is its own leaders who are no longer the leaders of the citizens of this country rather are leaders of castes. A country marred with 36% illiteracy and 26% population below poverty lines (BPL), backward caste is a huge vote bank to be exploited. And even this recent move of the UPA government of increasing the Quotas in the election season is nothing more than a shameful example of the deteriorating Indian Political system.
Most depressing thing is that ….if put in the Parliament, the bill for increasing Quota would be passed unanimously without a national debate. No marks for guessing the reason!
The Effect –
1. The pro-reservationists argue that qualification brings the backward classes into the mainstream. The implicit assumption here is that ‘Good Qualification’ fetches a job with handsome money; which literally means social upliftment of the backward as no one bothers himself about the caste of a rich. But in India, good education (from IITs, IIMs, AIIMS and other reputed institutes) comes at a cost (not the admission fees; rather the investment required to prepare for the entrance in these institutes). This results in ratio of people coming from metros (people who can afford costly education) to those coming from backward/rural areas (with a meager per capita income) is astronomical (As almost 40% of India is poor). Thus the vicious circle of education is making rich even richer.
Conclusion –The lower passing marks for ‘Quotaites’ is errorneous as only those who can invest in preparation give entrance tests for the reputed institutes. This policy just deteriorates the quality of education.
2. In colleges there are two kinds of groups students tend to make – one based on the region they belong to and the other is caste centric. While the former happens because of the comfort of language (As India is a country where language changes at every 100 Km), the latter happens either because of a shared feeling of inferiority, complex and discontent ( as the relaxation in entrance gets directly reflected in the scholastic pursuits of backward class people especially in institutes with relative grading) against the higher class (Recall the reasons for India’s Partition-they were no different).
The Solution –
Increasing the number of seats in no way solves the problems I have tried to point out in this write up; rather they only aggravate an already deteriorating scenario.
Everyday, one of the factions proposes something and the other disposes. The problem requires a well devised long term plan to be implemented under a tightly monitored time frame. Three components of this plan which I strongly feel would be the soul of this plan are –
1. New Education Policy (System) – Almost every section of the society has proposed and debated over the pos and cons of revamping the education system of India for making it a real medium (and not a dummy one as it is now) for the upliftment of backward classes. And this is merely one module of the whole solution package.
(Empirically) Number of students from government colleges making to the best higher education institutes in India (IITs, IIMs, AIIMS and others) can be counted on ones fingertips. As argued earlier, the majority is still of the people who can afford costly education from the private schools (Even here Cost is associated with Quality for the reasons described later). What we require is
a. A sincere overhaul of the complete education system which is long overdue now.
b. Subsidizing quality education for the backward classes’ up to class 10th/12th & let the merit decide the future of this country.
2. Learn-Pay-Earn: IITs, IIMs, AIIMS pass-outs education is subsidized by this country’s taxpayers. A simple financial logic asks for a pay back.
Devise a “Rational” policy (which is next to impossible in India but its future is still dependent on it) through which these passouts directly/indirectly return back the favor, before they move on to carve a golden future for themselves. Hence, let the Learn-Pay-Earn (LPE) principal replace the Learn-Earn(LE) principal.
(I support this argument as there are countries in which youngsters have to undertake defense training and serve the country for a minimum period)
1. The Infrastructure: Even if all these policies are in place, would the benefit reach the deserving living in places where there are no schools for many kms, no quality teachers and nothing to motivate them???
Hence there are a few pre-requisites we need to take care of even before all those policies are even thought over. The foremost among these would be an intensive infrastructure laid out across the length and breadth of the country.
Even today in Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, Chattisgarh, Himalyan states and many other parts of the country are completely inaccessible.
Hence there are a few pre-requisites we need to take care of even before all those policies are even thought over. The foremost among these would be an intensive infrastructure laid out across the length and breadth of the country.
Even today in Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, Chattisgarh, Himalyan states and many other parts of the country are completely inaccessible.
Quality education asks for Quality teachers who require a Quality incentive to share their knowledge, which refers to an infrastructure which provides a sufficient standard of living for which they have slogged throughout their lives. Basic economics teaches us that infrastructure attracts industries, Industries require manpower, to attract manpower schools, hospitals, parks come up which improve the standard of living – attracting Quality scholars resulting in better education which would help us achieve the desired objective. Examples of this are all around us from Bombay to Bangalore and now Baddi. Even China achievements today are the result of its investment in the infrastructure.
Putting the effect of infrastructure more simply in the words of my friend N.H. Krishnan – “A road in a village means a bus stand, which means another hanging place for children, means observing people of all classes and creed and thus a brush with a whole new world. This in turn lights a desire in them to explore more of this ‘New World’, motivates them to know more which is an incentive enough for them to learn and gain knowledge. Development automatically follows.”
Putting the effect of infrastructure more simply in the words of my friend N.H. Krishnan – “A road in a village means a bus stand, which means another hanging place for children, means observing people of all classes and creed and thus a brush with a whole new world. This in turn lights a desire in them to explore more of this ‘New World’, motivates them to know more which is an incentive enough for them to learn and gain knowledge. Development automatically follows.”
A Thought – The world will provide you with stones every day. What you build out of it is your outlook ---- a BRIDGE or a WALL.
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