Name: Saumya Shah Roll No: AU2240244

Word Count: 1009

Caste, the enemy of merit in college admissions

In the hallways of a coaching institute, a committed general category student studies diligently
day and night for competitive exams only to face the harsh reality that another student who
scored much lower on the merit scale was admitted to the same college entirely based on caste.
When unqualified applicants benefit over deserving ones, nationalism, and education faith
decline; as a result, the country is losing talented and intelligent individuals as they prefer foreign
education more nowadays. A writer and civil rights activist, Anand Teltumbde, argued over caste
reservation, stating that all Indian citizens have the right to request quotas if backwardness is the
reservation's criterion. Hard work to crack tough exams loses value, with caste-based
reservations favoring less effort.

Moreover, a growing trend reveals parents enrolling children in rigorous exam preparations early
in their careers. This path demands hard work, parental sacrifice to pay hefty fees, and
unwavering dedication to secure spots in elite Indian institutions amidst fierce competition. On
the other side, students under caste-based reservation seats secure admission with minimal effort
due to caste certificates, indicating backwardness, which is not the case most of the time. This is
more prevalent in government colleges, where roughly half of the seats are reserved for castes,
disheartening economically disadvantaged students. Witnessing peers with lower scores enjoy
parity breaks their confidence. Frustrated, some choose private colleges despite higher costs and
limited prospects. Remarkably, caste-based quotas even gain financial aid here as well. In this
scenario, capable general-category students face the consequences of unequal opportunities.

Additionally, with India being the nation with the highest youth population, it becomes essential
that they get provided with the proper opportunities and a stage where their talent is valued.
However, in India, even in the public sector or government jobs, a percentage of selection still
happens based on caste, and those with little to no knowledge get government jobs. As a result,
the situation of the municipality schools or the government offices is already known, where
people with no knowledge or desired skills get the work. Even in prestigious organizations like
DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), where the selection criteria are
extremely tough, many caste-based candidates enjoy the undeserved opportunity of getting
selected, even though they are behind on the merit scale than the others. Former RBI Governor
of India, Raghuram Rajan, said by stating specific communities who were seeking reservation in
jobs from governments that the short-term political solutions like such reservations damage the
fabric of the country and, thus, the focus should be on bringing out the ultimate solution rather
than looking for an easy way out. Therefore, selecting less skilled candidates hampers the
country's development in the long run.

Furthermore, it is no secret that the present generation prefers enrolling in institutions abroad
over those in India. This transition is solely caused by the lack of better domestic or national
institutes and due to the instances where selection is based on caste rather than selecting talented
individuals. Faith in educational institutions is lost when students see their peers getting selected
solely based on caste; due to this, the ecosystem for innovation and research within the nation is
also impacted. As a result, gifted individuals seek foreign institutions where admissions are
primarily based on merit and where individual real potential is respected. This developing trend
further highlights the urgent need for the current reservation system to be reevaluated to ensure
that each student's hard work and talent are adequately recognized for the progress of both the
nation and the individual.

However, some see caste-based reservations as a way to help less-represented caste groups, but
that is not always the case today. Suppose the reservation had been of that much importance. In
that case, the real focus might have gone towards giving quality education and its related
awareness to the small kids living in rural and backward parts of India, starting from a young
age; if something like this were looked upon, the condition of reservation in higher institutions
could have never come into the picture, which remarkably is not the case currently. Moreover,
not everyone in a particular caste is financially struggling or cannot educate their children well.
If the aim is to aid those in economic need, admission criteria should consider financial situations
instead of just caste certificates. So, reservation could be about economic circumstances, not just
caste. According to RSS leader M.G. Vaidya, people are now backward not because of caste but
due to the economy. Reservations by caste make them remember their caste. How can it vanish if
they keep recalling it since birth? Even among financially disadvantaged students, many have
excelled in exams despite facing economic challenges. Determination and will to excel at
something breaks the barrier of caste.

Nonetheless, for some, caste reservation aims to fight deep-rooted discrimination. Though this
problem needs to be addressed, the college reservation does not decrease this; instead, it
backfires. Many instances occurred where caste-based students were discriminated against by
their batch mates, even leading to tragic outcomes like suicide. It has also been reported that such
students fail to compete with their peers who came by securing good merit. Markandey Katju,
who was a former judge of the Supreme Court of India, said that there is a need to abolish all
caste-based reservations, as the policy of divide and rule between caste-based and general
category students is served because of that. Students in the general category are naturally
disappointed when SC/OBC students are admitted with less merit. Thus, the reservation harms
the caste itself after a certain extent.

To sum up, caste-based reservation harms India by losing talented individuals to other countries
and underserved ones securing their place. Solving discrimination is crucial, but it should not
discriminate against hard-working students. India's youth could achieve greatness, but
opportunities must be given based on skills, not just reservations. Focusing on skills and effort,
rather than relying on policies, can uplift all, fostering respect and success. As Rabindranath
Tagore once said, for actual progress, our society's real underdogs must be uplifted to become
men.
References:

Commune, J. (2020, August 2). Caste based reservation policy in India: Role of Ambedkar. JUS
COMMUNE. https://thejuscommune.wordpress.com/2020/08/02/caste-based-reservation-
policy-in-india-role-of-ambedkar/

Jaffrelot, C. (2015, October 23). Cornered on quotas. The Indian Express.

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/cornered-on-quotas/

Katju, M. (2022, November 1). Opinion: All caste-based reservations should be abolished. The
Week. https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2022/11/01/opinion-all-caste-based-
reservations-should-be-abolished.html

Teltumbde, A. (2019, January 9). If backwardness is the criterion for reservation, all Indians can
demand quotas: Anand Teltumbde. Scroll.in. https://scroll.in/article/908792/if-
backwardness-is-the-criterion-for-reservation-all-indians-can-demand-quotas-anand-
teltumbde

Online, F. (2017, November 27). Financialexpress. The Financial Express.

https://www.financialexpress.com/policy/economy-reservation-a-short-term-political-
solution-focus-on-creating-jobs-raghuram-rajan-populist-nationalism-elected-autocrat-
949126/