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I read http://www.financialexpress.com/latest_full_story.php?content_id=122853&pn=0" article which annoyed me greatly. It says that, 49.5 per cent of the total seats in IITs, IIMs and Central universities, including Delhi University, are to be reserved for OBCs, SCs and STs. At present, 22.5 per cent seats are reserved for SCs (15%) and STs (7.5%) in these institutes.
First of all, for those who have not heard of the caste system which exists in India, here's some links which provide a general background on the topic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_caste_system"
http://codesign.scu.edu/hinduism/"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action#Indian_history"
By reservation of seats, I mean that, universities must enroll a minimum number of students from the so-called "backward" classes, and this selection is based on different academic and monetary criteria when compared to the students of the other classes. This is supposed to be a type of Affirmative action.
For example, in my state Tamil Nadu, 69 per cent of seats in state funded universities are allotted to Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and Backward castes, in addition to separate quotas for Most Backward Castes, the physically challenged, sportspersons and wards of freedom fighters, among others (http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/08/22/stories/2005082210100400.htm" ).
As a result, the academic criteria for admission are vastly reduced for these castes. For example, in my state, while a student of the "forward" caste (FC) requires a score of 290/300 in the entrance exam of a leading university, a student of the "backward" caste would require a score of about 270/300. This may not seem much, but these are intensely competitive exams with around a hundred and fifty thousand students, and this is a big difference in that context
What I think is,
(i) These reservations are not done on the basis of the economic background of the student, but on the basis of caste, which is hereditary.
(ii) By giving admission to an undeserving candidate, there is injustice being done. Besides, I doubt that such students, who enter on the basis of caste and not academic merit, could cope with what's being taught once they enter. As a result, the quality of education declines.
It's my view that such reservations are detrimental and should be done away with. In fact, I think that the whole caste system should be abolished. It's ridiculous discriminating people on the basis of caste. The whole idea of backward and forward castes smells of racial discrimination.
I would like to hear your opinions on this.
First of all, for those who have not heard of the caste system which exists in India, here's some links which provide a general background on the topic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_caste_system"
http://codesign.scu.edu/hinduism/"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action#Indian_history"
By reservation of seats, I mean that, universities must enroll a minimum number of students from the so-called "backward" classes, and this selection is based on different academic and monetary criteria when compared to the students of the other classes. This is supposed to be a type of Affirmative action.
For example, in my state Tamil Nadu, 69 per cent of seats in state funded universities are allotted to Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and Backward castes, in addition to separate quotas for Most Backward Castes, the physically challenged, sportspersons and wards of freedom fighters, among others (http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/08/22/stories/2005082210100400.htm" ).
As a result, the academic criteria for admission are vastly reduced for these castes. For example, in my state, while a student of the "forward" caste (FC) requires a score of 290/300 in the entrance exam of a leading university, a student of the "backward" caste would require a score of about 270/300. This may not seem much, but these are intensely competitive exams with around a hundred and fifty thousand students, and this is a big difference in that context
What I think is,
(i) These reservations are not done on the basis of the economic background of the student, but on the basis of caste, which is hereditary.
(ii) By giving admission to an undeserving candidate, there is injustice being done. Besides, I doubt that such students, who enter on the basis of caste and not academic merit, could cope with what's being taught once they enter. As a result, the quality of education declines.
It's my view that such reservations are detrimental and should be done away with. In fact, I think that the whole caste system should be abolished. It's ridiculous discriminating people on the basis of caste. The whole idea of backward and forward castes smells of racial discrimination.
I would like to hear your opinions on this.
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