RESERVATIONS

Today one of the most burning problem in this contempory India is the problem of reservations to the economically backward classes in higher educational institutions .Allocating quotas and reserving seats for economically backward classes in higher educational institutions is economically inefficient, morally wrong, strategically flawed, and tactically ineffective. The policy does not help the underclass and ends up victimizing both the underclass and the so-called privileged class. The policy gives rise to what is called a “lose-lose” solution, while avoiding a “win-win” situation.But what suprises me the most is that in this era of multi party democracy,no party came forward openly to oppose these reservations,and this gives rise to dangerous situation known as vote bank politics ( recently concluded poll in UP inspires me for that ).
Quotas, if they have any effect on the system, effectively replace qualified candidates with otherwise unqualified candidates. Unqualified candidates who enter the system are by definition unable to benefit from the opportunity to the extent that a qualified candidate would have done.
Lets first talk about the current reservation system. When it was first introduced , there was only 5% for SCs and 5% for STs . This progressively increased with a new quota coming up for OBCs . Who constitute the OBCs ? Lets start from the south . Thevars in Tamil Nadu, Vokkaligas in Karnataka , Reddys in Andhra Pradesh. When we go north , lets have a look at some other OBCs. Pawars and other Marathas in Maharashtra , Jats in Punjab and Haryana , Yadavs in Bihar and UP, Rajputs in Rajasthan . Lack of knowledge about the OBCs in other states prevents me from adding more to this list. What is common to all these ?. They are all politically powerful castes. The ruling Govt has to make a point to make concessions either towards these castes or the minister .They are very well represented including having the chief ministership in many states. So, the question becomes – how are they disadvantaged in society so as to have a reservation ? What makes it difficult for them to join schools and colleges if they donot have reservation ? Incidentally, some of the brightest minds also belong to these communities. And there is a whopping 23% reservation for the OBCs. It makes sense to have reservations for the SCs , STs and Dalits who indeed are the victims of oppression and brutalities which still exist in a lot of Indian states . But reservation for the others?

The same argument holds good for Muslims too . There are a lot of reports which suggest that Muslims comprise the backward sections of society and they need to be educated to be brought into the mainstream . For this, there need to be reservations for the Muslims in the education sector and then the govt sector for jobs.
Muslims are a very strong political force in this country . What prevents them from joining regular schools and colleges ? There is no law which prevents it. Speaking of representation, the highest office of the country (that of the Presidency) has been held by the Muslims on more than one occasion . Where is the question of discrimination ? In any case, there are many political and non political parties which make a hue and cry at the slightest hint of discrimination. In that case, should there be any reservation present for Muslims ?

Another point here worth mentioning is that even after 50 years of independence and quota systems, if India needs reservations for some sections of the society , there is something baiscally wrong in the way that it is administered. Should these quotas then just go up and up or should there be a complete rethinking of the necessity and the desirability of having quotas for some sections of the society .
So then, what is the solution?
The solution therefore is that they have to be provided help in preparing for higher education, which basically means that they have to be given assistance at levels that precede higher education. They are handicapped at the level of higher education because they are handicapped at the earlier stages of education. If their handicap in the school level were addressed, you would not have to make special provisions for them in the post-school levels.
The disadvantaged segments of the population are not disadvantaged only in their ability to gain admission to higher education, they are disadvantaged in all levels of education. The solution then is to help them with providing them opportunities in the lower levels first. Equality of opportunity at the lower levels (primary, secondary, and high school levels) is a necessary and sufficient condition for the disadvantaged segments to have a shot at competing with the others. Equality of opportunity is to be desired and can be engineered, but of course that does not guarantee equality of outcome.
The policy makers need to understand the distinction between the equality of opportunity and the equality of outcome:
The fact that IITs and IIMs and other premier institutions don’t have sufficient representation from some economically and socially disadvantaged groups is a symptom of a deeper problem.Merely increasing the number of seats does provide only a quick fix problem, not a permanent one.