E-Paper
Students oppose reservation in tech institutes
QUOTA FOR OBC candidates in technical and professional institutions has caused a stir among meritorious students here as they fear the quota issue may curtail their chances further. However, senior functionaries at the top institutes are tight-lipped over the issue.
QUOTA FOR OBC candidates in technical and professional institutions has caused a stir among meritorious students here as they fear the quota issue may curtail their chances further. However, senior functionaries at the top institutes are tight-lipped over the issue.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-K) director Dr Sanjay G Dhande, when contacted, plainly said he had not received any official communication in this regard and hence he would not make any comment on the issue.
Students and professors are widely divided on the issue. Over 100 students, who have been interviewed, described the reservation issue as a political gimmick of a political party to strengthen its vote bank. They said the attempt to appease OBC candidates would not yield desired results.
They said before introducing reservation, the government should have reviewed its old reservation policy and its effect on the reserved classes. They said the reservation policy had in fact made the candidates availing reservation more dependent and they lost the confidence of facing life's challenges independently. “For each activity of their personality development, they seek help from the government. In the absence of any government support, they can not rise from their pitiable condition,” they said.
They feared that if the government continued to patronise reservation policy, the day was not far when the upper class children would have no chance for getting good education despite being meritorious. “The country will also face largescale brain drain and expertise-crunch. Besides, excess quota will generate class struggle.”
Similarly, upper caste teachers said a certain amount of reservation was justified at the higher education and also in services but bringing the technical institutions under quota purview would prove fatal to the growth of the country.
On the other hand, students and teachers belonging to OBC strongly favoured reservation in professional and technical institutes, which, according to them were under the strong hold of the upper classes and they were denied to enjoy the fruits of these institutions.
A few professors also apprehended mass upsurge if the reservation was imposed and the society would face chaotic situation. They suggested that the government should invite public opinion over the issue through a questionnaire to settle the issue.
