By Saba Zia Hassan
The biggest failure of the Reservation system of our country is that it seems to reinforce rather than dilute caste-based popular clamour. Social groups, some not so needy, continue to seek its supposed protective cover, through such quotas.
Whether to have a reservation/quota system or not is still a debatable question in India. The Indian Constitution has a law for the same and according to this reservation has been made to bring underprivileged classes at par with privileged or general ones. There are numerous reservations like reservation for women, reservation for physically challenged, reservation for economically backward class, reservation for Scheduled Castes etc. Though, reservation system is an evident discrimination, it had been started with a very good objective of uplifting the socially backward society to give them equality of opportunities. But with time its meaning and the way it has been taken by the people has left many of us to believe that it has stopped delivering for what it was made. People have started misusing it. There are many examples of people making false documents just to get a seat in a college or a job. This leaves the more eligible candidate to give up their seat to a person belonging to a reserve category.
Education minister Manish Sisodia’s promise to implement the quota reservation of seats in the Delhi government-funded colleges of Delhi University for local students have again given vent to the reservation-debate. Just before the elections former Education Minister A K Walia, had announced 90% reservation for local students in those colleges of Delhi University, which are fully funded by Delhi Government. Vehemently criticizing the move and calling it a populist action of the newly elected government, DUTA President Nandita Narain claimed it to be an attack on the universitys character and identity, to lead it towards privatization. DU is a central university that does not support reservations on the basis of domicile. Such an act could be a pre-cursor for other central universities to implement such quotas.
But the question, which arises is-Is basing reservations on region, religion, caste, gender, etc. necessary at all? The quotas usually cause the more deserving candidates to lose their seats to the candidates from reserved categories. The most often used argument in favour of reservations is that it helps the socially and economically backward sections of the country to be equal to those belonging to those of general category. In a scenario few centuries back, the argument could have been justified enough. But today, people are more aware and caste-related evils in the society have depreciated significantly.
What we dont have is a measure, capable enough, to classify people who are in dire need of reservation and those who are taking advantage of it simply because they happen to take birth in a certain community. There is no measure as such which affirms that a student from reserved category say SC/ST had any less access to quality education than a student from general category. Similarly, it is no written rule that people from general category are rich enough to provide their children with facilities and funds for high quality education.
What we need is to devise an intelligent and transparent method, which acknowledges the conditions a student is subjected to, and not the community he/she was born into, and then give the appropriate relaxation in the cut-offs required. This way, it would not be an injustice to the poor meritorious students who have the capability to perform but falling prey to the reservation system, are unable to get the opportunities they deserve.
Reservations have seemingly made merits lose to demerits and made caste/gender/religion a more significant issue in our lives, something, which surely doesnt reflect its contribution in our countrys growth.
She is a second year student pursuing Bachelor of Science in Physics (Hons.) at St. Stephens College, Delhi. She believes that the youth of the nation must gear up to scrutinize and reform the present condition of Indian Society. She hopes that with her thoughts and ideas, she would bring some improvement in the society, no matter how small it is. Besides writing, she is also fond of composing poems. Gleeful at heart, she likes meeting new people and is always keen to learn new things. Contact her at: leo94.31july@gmail.com