Reservation

All men and women are created equally. But, they cannot be treated equally in order to create equal opportunity. That is the basis for 'Reservation' system. Many argue that reservation system should be abolished. I would also say so, in an ideal world. In a country like India, which is so diverse economically and socially, requires reservation in every field right from schools, colleges, hospitals, jobs etc. There is nothing wrong with the concept of reservation; indeed it is the only way to improve standards of underprivileged to acceptable limits. It is a fact that every country has some kind of reservation for underprivileged.

In India, when it was introduced, the idea was to iron out the difference. And in course of time, abolish the system. So far, we have not ironed out but produced more wrinkles. Everyday, commotion on reservation system is increasing. Political parties use that as weapon for their gains. If something needs to be blamed, then it should be the implementation but not the system or concept. I was looking for an analogy to demonstrate the success of reservation. I couldn't get a better example than world cup 2007. Though minnows are being battered in league and super eight matches, the intermittent upsets throw some light on the system. When you think of reservation in education, it is not a jump pad for person entering through the backdoor. It is rather a proving ground. They definitely have to raise their levels in order to compete with others and to stay alive. When the person fails to coupe up with demands and standards, it cannot be attributed as a system failure. Instead, administrator should work to improve the system. They should not just give the route guide, but also should make sure the journey.

Any system, which is running for long needs over hauling, so does reservation. Reservation should be based on demand and supply chain. We need to provide support for people who are in need. The foundation for reservation should be based on a strong evaluation system. How can reserving jobs for religious minorities serve the purpose? Whom should the seat in bus be reserved? For a disable or a religious minority? The example sited may seem trivial, but I see no difference. Everyone who is rational will agree that the disable is the one in need of seat irrespective of caste, creed, and religion. Here, the evaluation parameter is 'Ability'. When it comes to education & jobs, the evaluation parameter should be even stronger. Many years ago, in TamilNadu reservation was based on income, so called 'Cream layer' concept. Cream layer based on income will work in certain areas but not for education. We need even stronger evaluation system to fit most important areas like education. For instance, each person should be awarded an ability score based on parent's education, job, economic strata, resource availability etc. Then, reserve seats for the under privilege. It is not an easy task for the administrator. But that does not grant them to throw reservation easy.

In many cases, people who are in need are not aware of the system. Only law twisters bend it for their gains. Administrator should also create awareness about the opportunities through reachable mediums. Currently, statistics shows vacant area (to be filled) in the current configuration itself. In that case, increasing the percentage for backward classes or some minorities will be bring only pan-demonic reaction. Reservation is an aid and is not all. Therefore, the root cause for issues like low literacy among backward classes needs to be identified and addressed duly.