Reservations in education shadows merits and must be done away with

Reservations in education shadows merits and must be done away with

Introduction:

Caste quotas, management quotas, gender quotas, minority quotas, disabled quotas, sports quotas - you name them, we got them here deep rooted in the education system of our country. "Change must come from within and that you have to be the change that you want to bring" is all in vain unless we address the problem that downcast all efforts and dedication our youth have been putting into their studies. This issue has long been neglected though it has become the unanimous plight of students across our country.

All those who have been through a situation when their merit was ignored in front of those who qualified the reservation allotment know the pain. You belong to the "general" category and that in itself becomes the reason why you couldn't secure admission into your dream college despite scoring higher than the rest who fall under the reservations.

Years back this system was brought to effect to raise the living conditions of the backward castes and now it is used as the vote generating strategy by our politicians who make promises to various groups to stand for their reservations. Isn't it time already that we do away with this meaningless system that is shadowing the merits of the more deserving?

For:

1. The reservation system is directly opposed to equality and non-discrimination. With reservations for women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, handicaps, etc. the general lot of students is left wondering in serious anxiety about how much efforts have to be put from their side to secure a seat at a prestigious university. The current trend at Delhi University's 100% cut-off shows how demanding the education system has become, where only the highest bidder gets a seat and of course those who fall under special reservations.

2. The reservations on basis of caste was meant for uplifting the socially backward castes so that they could compete in the advanced world and receive education and employment opportunities which was possible only for the higher classes. Now it has become a weapon for securing seats and later jobs with lesser efforts. Corruption has taken forms in this system as well and there are numerous cases when families indulge in the practice of generating fake caste certifications through illegal means.

3. Additionally, it should also be noted that many families of these castes that fall under reservations have secured good education, are employed at higher offices, are well earning but their children still receive all the benefits of the quota system. They have to pay less for securing admission into well established institutes, get admission even when they obtain lesser marks and job opportunities are also more for them.

Is it not inequality when the quota system ignores the other poor families who do not fall under some specific castes while only the reserved ones receive all the benefits even when they can afford it on their own?

4. We are creating since long a workforce that lacks efficiency and manages to grab the job only because of being from a certain caste that placed under the reservation category. Some of them are even undeserving and are not very efficient at handling jobs that are made easily available to them and then we go on complaining why government offices function on a slow and ineffectual basis. Even at doctorate and post graduation levels, this practice does not cease which is why some of the more qualified persons are either left behind or give up hopes too soon.

5. The underprivileged in our country needs to be identified first and regardless of their caste and background, they should be given financial aid for better studies and not seats reserved for them even when they don't qualify. All these years down the line and we see no major uplifts in the living conditions of the poor sections in rural areas. It is evident that reservation is not the solution to tackle this issue. A fresh new perspective should be considered instead of just going with the flow and luring votes for promises of more reservations.

6. The lawmakers of those times decided upon the quota system as it was deemed fit to provide aid for development to the underprivileged but since this policy has failed terribly in bringing about any major transformation in the lives of poor, it should be considered for updation and perhaps a fresh new policy as a replacement.

Against:

1. Caste system in India which discriminated the superior castes from the lowly ones was the major reason why the reservation system was brought to effect. In those times, it was obligatory that only the high class could receive education and the lower class could not even avail basic learning facilities. To do away with this evil practice, quotas were established. We have not made much advancement in this sector. The caste and class discrimination still continues owing to its deep roots. The removal of reservations would only worsen their situation with the gone of their only hope for a better future for their children.

2. People are still looking for more reservations. The Jats of UP are always claiming rights for reservations. At such a time when all reservations are taken back, all these groups that availed the facilities would protest. There could be heavy clash between these backward communities and the government which will be difficult to handle. Accusations, protests and anxiety triggering acts are the last things we want to welcome now.

3. There could be illegal uprising against the government and we would not be able to fight with half the population on one extreme side. Naxalism and other such destructive movement are yet to be contained. Can we imagine how far these people will go if the quota system is all of a sudden revoked? India is not in a state to invite more terrorism of this kind.

4. The reservation system has helped in a good way in raising the living standards of many backward communities. At least we can look at the data and see that there are development in some parts of these backward castes that have been provided reservations. Their children do not get quality education and standard facilities for learning. The least we can do to help them compete for jobs is to give them reservations.

Conclusion:

Reservation system has for long been an unsaid and unchallenged inequality prevailing in our education system. It is very disheartening for some qualified students to see how they are left behind on basis of seats being accorded to these reserved categories.

It makes them think whether they are the victims of socioeconomic draught or are the culprits behind negligence towards qualified general students.

Not everyone placed in the general category is rich as a king. If reservation is meant for social uplifting, why are the general poor people left behind? It is true that the government cannot do away with reservations at this stage but it is extremely crucial that the socially and economically backward are identified properly irrespective of caste and religion.