“If Education is to nourish the roots of our culture and tradition, society must set the students free to follow their vision wherever it may take them”
The word RESERVATION which has got many writes up’s and articles in the newspapers and internet by the people: - for the motion and against the motion. This topic did not strike my mind until a mutual friend of mine doing his engineering studies who went through the reservation quota into his present college told me his life along with studies were not easy, so bro you better study and work hard and try to enter from the merit basis and not the reservation quota.
Many students and elders clamoring against the reservation of seats for S.C/S.T/O.B.C have demanded that merit be the sole criteria for admission to medical and engineering colleges/universities and also for candidates applying for jobs. But the question piffling my mind is “How that; those person against it has not objected either to the NRI quota or candidates who procure admission, jobs on the basis of capitation fee? Does this have no effect in quality? As per my knowledge reservation of seats was introduced in Kolhapur early as in 1902 and in Mysore in 1921. Take for example Tamil Nadu, where the human health index is very much better than the in other states of the country there is as much as 69% reservation for various groups of people. Let us take a moment the upper caste people are always meritorious; they have the finance to have good education. But is this of any help to our super fast—developing economy country, when many of those use the elite institutions as springboard and bridges to go abroad for higher wages.
Nearly 70% of the doctors from AIIMS go abroad to earn a living. Similarly the situation is the same from the so called IIT’s and IIM’s. How are these elite institutes regarded as the top most of the country, under any circumstances, are they serving the interests of the common people of the country? Are those people paying any sign of respect to the motherland? Is respect shown like these, living their own country without helping it to become one of the most developed countries?
I am not sure about the reality of the SMS which I got regarding Indians staying abroad “It stated “45% of the doctors, 28%of the scientist, 35%of the engineers, 54%of the teachers, 32% of the architect, 38% of the business interpreters’ are all Indians or Indian born settled abroad” I hope if all these Percentage are not fully correct but to some extent it is definitely correct even it is half too!
Why did the world’s most powerful man Barack Obama ask the teenagers in their country to stay and work as the Bengalurians? Why? For me He must have told it knowing about the vast potential we Indians possess but never utilize it. What is the use if all the best doctors, engineers, scientist, teachers, interpreters’, architect etc go abroad for better wages leaving their motherland. For me we don’t have any use for those people in our country. Meritorious people leaving the country when the country needs them the most is worse than any crime human could ever commit. Don’t they want to be a part of this developmental process? Don’t they want India to be termed as a super nation? Won’t those meritorious people have a feeling of satisfaction? I would say if they got a heart of humans; they would! Or unless made of some stones or bricks! Money is not important than country and the fact about all these people going abroad are they are meritorious. I know they deserve it but still, our country needs them more.
On the other hand, in Tamil Nadu itself, a good number of S.C/S.T/O.B.C doctors, who procured admission into colleges and universities due to reservation policy, stick to their own state or hometown, resulting in better healthcare services. It’s a small step but of great significance. So is that not a positive sign of reservation of seats? The Tamil Nadu government has allotted 3.5% of seats each to Muslims and Christians, thereby altering the O.B.C reservation to 23% from 30%.Andhra Pradesh's administration has introduced a law enabling 4% reservations for Muslims. Kerala Public Service Commission has a quota of 12% for Muslims. Religious minority status educational institutes also have 50% reservation for their particular religions.
Reservation of seats is not inclusive or exclusive to our country only. The American multinational company IBM voluntarily introduced reservations for the Black people in the year 1930. In Malaysia there are reservations not just in jobs but also in contracts, licenses’, and company shares for the permanent citizens of the country. Reservation for the depressed and weaker sections exists in many counties like Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Netherland and Ireland. There is 50% reservation for Blacks and Women in medical faculty of Harvard University. And the Whites never made an issue of being eligible only for 50% of the seats. Then why there is always uproar for reservation of seats in our country by the people? Why can’t those anti reservationist people go in support for it? I can’t see any negative aspect on it! In fact it is true that only a handful of anti reservationist people, who are really responsible for creating dissension and obstacles in the ways of social justice of the S.C/S.T/O.B.C are uneducated.
My present school Sainik School Punglwa too has a reservation policy for the students. 67% is reserved for the Nagaland domiciled students, 25% for the Arunachal Pradesh domiciled students, 3% for the sons of the Martyrs and widows and the other 5% for the other state’s domiciled people. Because of these reservations I learnt a lot about the culture and tradition of the other state’s people. It made me to live in peace and harmony with them. Let me learn each other better. This is definitely a plus point for reservation of seats in an institution which is one of the biggest residential schools in the country under the Sainik Schools Society, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi.
If anti-reservationist people are so concerned about the disintegration of society on caste lines, they should first lead the struggle against social discrimination and not be a mute spectator. WORK and SHOW! Don’t always oppose for your personal pleasure and help.
Reservation of seats helps to get a job or admission even if they get less percentage of marks or even if they can’t make it to the merit. In mannier cases candidates getting high marks may not necessarily be successful in the field. LUCK plays an important role! A candidate may come up to the merit list by his luck without any knowledge about the competitive examination. So, would the anti reservationist say about it? Are they planning to go against who passed by luck too, if they are planning too: you are the donkeys of the country. No human can know who passed by luck except that person himself and God. Passing by luck is not written on the candidates’ forehead! And no candidate would commit that until he/she is the die hard follower of “Honesty is the best Policy” or he/she considers himself/herself the second Mahatma Gandhi/Mother Teresa of the country
Merit as it is presently understood, does not include honesty, hard work and patriotism. Unfair means are not a new phenomenon in the 21st century India. In the American school system, besides the syllabus, students have to undergo practical training in social services, etc and marks are added in the certificate based on the performance in these areas. The only people tailing of merit are those who have studied in public schools or whose children study in such schools and not in Government schools.
The expenditure incurred in public schools is 50-100 times more than those of corporation or government schools. There is a vast difference in quality between the teachers of public and government schools too. Parents who can afford to send their children to public schools are mostly educated and wealthy. They might have sources to earn; they may not only teach the children at home but also provide coaching for them. On the other hand, parenthaves who send their children to corporation and government schools are mostly uneducated having no knowledge. These children to lend a helping hand to their parents after school hours. Under such circumstances, what is wrong if such students ask for concession of few marks? Are they working on their own wish? I think NO!! They have to! To fill their stomach, since they have to, they have no other sources of income. They must be given concession what so ever the people object. It is a necessity for them, in order to keep their foot in this blind and unjust world where everyone is on its own to get to the sun!!
Reservations of seats will bring unity and integration in society. Reservation in elite institutes will enable people from different social strata to come together and establish a strong bonhomie among them. It is true that reservation is not a permanent solution to the vexed problem of our society but it is of help to a great extent. As an when compulsory education is introduced in the country the S.C/S.T/O.B.C will never stake their claims to reservation. They can also compete with the meritorious students if they are given the compulsory education right. They won’t be requiring reservation as the basis for their admission or getting jobs. As of now; there is no right for these candidates, so reservation of seats is a must and foremost to keep them in pace to these fast growing –developmental era.
Reservation of seats is not a panacea for the economic backwardness of the country. It would make the country to move towards a fixed goal with those hard working students who do not have the desired platform to perform. They won’t at least show their back to the country like those meritorious students. I can say with confidence that they would work for the upliftment and betterment of the country instead of searching jobs of higher wages with which would only make their tummy fat without being of any help to the country they were born.
The government has launched many schemes for the betterment of the people only for this purpose. Reservations of seats are the only a concession given to socially educationally backward people, so that they may integrate with the mainstream people. We have no objection if the poor among the upper caste people, too are benefited from reservations. Is these mother Earth only for the upper caste? Who made this differentiation in the caste system? God did not do it! It was we humans who made these differentiation's on caste system. All the species of Homo sapiens have the same number of chromosomes except the abnormal ones. If God made us same than who are we and why are we differentiating each other on the basis of caste system? We are negligible comparing to the vastness of the universe around!!
I know the problem with reservation of seats is that few people among those needy start taking advantage of the policy. That should be stopped if no comments are to be heard by them. The people must know the government has given them a chance to grow in this fake world. So, instead of making the policy a fun they must utilize to the full extent.
The tests of life are its plus factors. Overcoming difficulties is a plus factor for molding character. Steel is iron plus fire, soil is rock plus heat. So those taking admission by reservation of seats must include the plus factor in their lives. This plus factor must be readily seen in us. Often it takes a third eye or a change in focus, to see the plus factor in us. The forces of death and destruction are not so much physic and psychological. When malice, hate and hard heartedness prevail, they get channeled as forces of destruction. Where openness, peace and good-heartedness prevail, the forces of life gush to regenerate hope and joy. Let us overcome sufferings. Those who are being helped by reservation of seats let’s not look only at the gloom and doom-lets seek out positivity and happiness. For it is when you seek that you will find what is waiting to be discovered. Let’s not make a fuss on the reservation of seats.
It is just a matter of 6 months left for me to appear my A.I.S.S.S.E (All India Senior Secondary School Examination) and go in the velvety darkness of the world. I would not like to entertain to those comments which my mutual friend told me. I have my right to live. Reservation of seats is a must and would be a must until we come to the level of those meritorious candidates availing quality education. Once that is achieved reservation bill can be called off! But not now!!
Even if conscious of the beauty of the universe is in the midst of pain, suffering and struggle. Reservation of seats would be a blessing cum boon for the S.C/S.T/O.B.C how much the meritorious people terms it as curse! Curse would never be a curse if it helps for the upliftment and betterment of the educationally backward people and helps them to come in the mainstream.
“If you can’t be the change you can be the cause for the change”
This is what I as a 17 yr old student has apported on Reservation Policy. Sorry if I have been too harsh on the meritorious students. Please do forgive me and please give it a sound thinking on the people getting benefited before working out or voicing out against it.
Mann Vam De
Sainik School Punglwa
