Merit vs caste: Reservation in schools doesn't automatically ensure children emancipation

This is a sequel to my co-columnist G Pramod Kumar’s article titled 90% IIT Roorkee dropouts are backward caste dated 6 August 2015. If death is the greatest leveler at the end of life, education is the greatest leveler especially for the one not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Our own country is a standing testimony to this. The Infosys promoters, though not from backward caste, showed that education can truly empower everyone democratically provided he has fire in his belly. The recent crop of successful start-ups in the tech based economy proves that Infosys wasn’t a one off phenomenon, a huge flash in the pan. [caption id=“attachment_2319816” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] But then reservation at institutions of higher education is a sure recipe for disaster. To be sure, primary education must be free and provided to everyone without discrimination. In our scheme of things right to free education is guaranteed for children aged between six and 14 but thereafter students have to make it to institutions of higher education on their own steam without any leg up or hand holding. There can be affirmative action in the American sense – if two students in IIT entrance with same grades or marks for example are competing for the same seat, the one from the backward caste should be given the state. This is not the same as blanket reservation. A blanket reservation that pays no heed to merit can backfire at higher education as Pramod Kumar’s article vividly brings out . Kapil Sibal erred gravely when as human resources development minister he ordained 25 percent reservation (free seats) in private schools. Teachers of such schools are finding it impossible to bring such children on par with other bright children despite their best efforts. Best education can be imparted but children must have appetite for learning. There is a limit to play way pedagogy in schools and in IITs play way pedagogy has to give way to innovative learning. Be that as it may, Sibal compounded his initial error with another – he abolished annual examinations as criterion for being promoted to the next class till class 10. He thought apart from other children cross subsidizing children from the bottom of the social pyramid, there would be a rub off effect as well but that is sadly not happening especially with smooth sailing up to class 10 being assured that makes everyone complacent. The earlier examination system warts and all at least had the merit of compelling children to study at least in the run up to the annual examinations. Children who complete their school education huffing and puffing obviously cannot be expected to do well in IITs and other demanding places of education. This applies to all students but its side effects are felt more by those children who are lulled to believe from K-12 and beyond that handholding would see them through. This is not to suggest that children from the poorer strata of the society or from backward castes should be condemned to mediocrity or illiteracy. The answer lies in upgrading the government schools so that they impart education at par with their private counterparts in terms of quality. This would call for more painstaking efforts in appointment of teachers among others. Alternatively, the US model can be adopted. In the USA, 87 percent of children at the K-12 level go to public schools. These schools are private to be sure but get all sorts of assistance from the government both federal and state as well as from the local municipality including free land in return for charging moderate fees regulated by the education board drawn from the locals and assure admission to every child living in the locality. These public schools impart the same quality education that their private counterparts impart. Sadly in our country, the idea of public schools has somehow acquired elitist connotations. In fact there is nothing public about our private schools except that they get land and electricity cheap from the government.