ASIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY

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Website: http://www.tspmt.com

Vol. 4 (2), July 2014: 451-454

ISSN (Print): 2249-7374
ISSN (Online): 2347-4947

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Relevance of Reservation in Education Scenario

Anita
Baba Mohan Das College of Education, Motla kalan, Rewari
Email: iasanitayadav@gmail.com
Received: 9th April 2014, Revised: 30th May 2014, Accepted: 11th June 2014

ABSTRACT
In India the Reservation is the process of setting aside a certain percentage of seats in government
and non-government institutions for members of backward and under-represented communities
(defined primarily by caste and tribe).Reservation is governed by constitutional laws, statutory laws,
and local rules and regulations. Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward
Classes (OBC) are the primary beneficiaries of the reservation policies under the Constitution with
the object of ensuring an inclusive standard of all communities. The reservation system has received a
mixed response from Indians since its inception.
Key Words: Reservation, Backward Communities, Constitution

INRODUCATION
Reservation is a means to uplift the targeted community, to give opportunities to the
deprived sections so that they may move upwards in education and jobs. Some persons
even equate the reservation policy with poverty alleviation, job creating and education
spreading programmes. Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the great social revolutionary, wrote of
reservation as, The reservations demanded by the servile classes are really controls over
the power of the governing classes. The reservations do no more than correlate the
constitution to the social institutions of the country in order to prevent political power to
fall into the hands of the governing class. So to uplift these castes people, Dr. Ambedkar
took this step. But the present scenario regarding reservation policy in India there are
some ugly truth behind reservation game. In every field, government services, colleges etc.
There is almost 50% reservation for SC, ST and OBC.
In 1990 higher education institutions, public sector units & Government Bodies, 22.5% of
available seats were made reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST)
students (15% for SCs, 7.5% for STs). This reservation percentage has been raised to
49.5%, by including an additional 27% reservation for OBCs in 2008. 5-10% of aggregate
marks and 3-5years of age relaxation and exemption from tuition fees is given to SC, ST
and OBC candidates who wish to take admissions in various Government institutions. Not
only this, about 15%-50% reservations take place in some of the private colleges in the
form of management quotas where the seats are purely decided on the basis of how much
money one can pay. Other than this, reservations also happen on the basis of gender and
religion where in females and minority religious groups are given preferences. The
examples of such institutions are Jamia Milia Islamia University and St. Stephens College.
Reservation was to put an end to caste prejudices and their repercussions in an
independent India that our Constitution-framers sought to award temporary concessions
to the backward castes that for centuries been a victim to the cruel injustices of the upper
castes. Once the reservations brought in a determined effort to eliminate the
backwardness of and the bias against the lower castes the concessions were to cease-that
is after 20 year from that time of the framing of the Constitution. But after more than 65
years of independence their dream is yet to bear fruit Caste issue instead of taking a backseat, rule the political scenario of modern India.
It is the time to stand against the govt. of Indias policy of reservation in higher education.
Every responsible citizen should protest against this historic blunder. Reservation policy

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Asian J. Edu. Res. & Tech.

adopted by governments always tends to create and secure their respective vote banks.
The reservation policy also proved its usual failure as after 60 years of independence they
are shouting for reservation. Reservation not only demeans the quality of higher
education but it stands as one of the greatest hindrance of nation's progress allowing less
meritorious students ignoring the genuine candidates. If there is no protest, then the
nation is surely going to abuse their original human resource and also allowing the
politicians to get involved in ugly policy of their crude politics at the cost of nation's
progress.
ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR
1. In the Higher Education institutes and Government Bodies reserved category people
are given the relaxations, which results in admission of people who have lower
aggregate percentage of marks due to inappropriate condition, are both in academics &
competitive exams for their countrys future development.
2. The Financial and social status of the reserved category people is increasing in a
consistent manner over minorities.
3. The percentage of SC, ST, OBC in government institutions is rising, now the total
percentage of reserved category persons working in these institution is about 40%.
4. It is a radical step to weaken the monopoly of certain castes in positions of power,
privileges and decision making.
5. The reservation prepares the ground for participation of all castes and communities in
the state organs. The more open, the more inclusive, the more participatory the
structure of state even in the existing system, the more conducive and less forbidding it
will be for the growth of democratic movements and processes.
6. Reservation is a means to increase representation of hitherto under-represented caste
groups and thereby improve diversity on campus.
ARGUMENTS IN AGAINST
1. Reservation neglects peoples ability and intellect directly as it always allows people
with lesser marks and lesser quality to get admissions in higher educational
institutions and a job which is totally unfair and unhealthy in true sense as the
reserved categories are permitted to enjoy higher education and job by lowering
criteria and standard.
2. Reservation is a greatest trump card of politicians who secure their vote bank through
the process of reservation because it creates a great hallow about social justice and
development of backward communities. It is surely a great weapon to get rid of some
unwanted images, inefficiency, and double standards in different ways.
3. Reservation recognizes the caste system in a sophisticated way in the name of social
justice and constitution and its inevitable impact is division of society in the name of
caste and community specially creating privileged and unprivileged section in higher
education and job.
4. Reservation is surely one of the greatest causes for which our country is lagging
behind because quality and merit is denied then how we can become progressive and
compete with other countries as it creates a large imbalance in the way of progress.
5. Higher education needs high skills, proficiency and excellency. When we admit
students with lower qualities in higher education then the quality of education cant be
maintained and the institutes of excellency like iits, iims. jnu, aiims and other reputed
govt. and Private institutions suffer a lot by admitting those quota pupils.
6. Reservation does not recognize fair competition. Candidates are appearing for the
same course, but a significant section is admitted by lowering criterias, cutoff marks
and for them the certain portions of seats are reserved. So reservations dishonors the
right of meritorious peoples to get admission or job inspite of having good intellect and
high proficiency

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7. Reservation is a self destructive process adopted by the govt. because when you are
using public money to admit lower quality students and denying the entry of the
genuine one.
8. Reservation implemented by govt. on both govt. and private institutions is an
unwanted interference on their autonomy which is very much necessary to maintain
the rules
9. Although most of the minor communities have already been secured, new minor
communities emerge every waking day. As of now, some cattle-breeding and pastoral
communities have been demanding reservation in public job sector and educational
institutes.
SUGGESTATIONS
Development of our country can be achieved only by the uplift of all the sections of the
society irrespective of cast, creed and color. Knowledge and hard work should be valued
not caste. It is clear that poverty is not the basic criterion for reservation so that socially
and educationally backward classes have been taken into consideration for better
understanding of backward communities.
Government has to take care to encourage them educationally to change their living style
and to develop them. Equal educational opportunities would ensure the upward mobility
of the socially backward in society. The discriminatory education systems that deny
underprivileged children their right to equal opportunities at present must be done away
within.
The education provided to these children must be such that they can compete with the
children of the elite on the same level for seats in universities and professional institutes
and later for jobs. The need for educating oneself must be emphasized. Social
development programmes that would lessen the daily burden of these people would allow
them to spend time on education as well. Thus the path to true reform is through
education. It would make sure that there were more primary schools in areas where the
poor and backward lived, so that education levels in India as a whole improve. Then, more
students would be able to get into these elite institutions on their own merit rather than
because of reservation.
Thus it is required to bring revolutionary changes in our education system at the grassroot level. This is a clear indication that the solution lies not in reservations but
somewhere else. The socially oppressed lack modern facilities that would help them
maintain good health and living so that they can take education seriously and derive
advantages from it.
CONCLUSION
Reservation is not the only solution to uplift the backward. Effective implementation is
needed for policies which provide the basic necessities of life like-food, clothing, shelter,
medical facilities, make education mandatory and free for all till age of 15, propose
reservation based on economic status; provide opportunity to students to earn while they
study.
Reservations are anti-thesis of development and equality. We dont need reservations
based on castes or religion but only to actually provide aid to those who have minimal
resources; and merit should be given equal and due importance in admission procedures
as well employment opportunities. This way we would be successful in removing caste
discrimination and unite the economically rich together in helping the economically poor,
irrespective of their castes.
Efforts are needed at maximizing the educational infrastructure, allocating more funds
and reforming the entire teaching and learning process and it's administration. Education
is not simply learning to read and write being able to acted schools and colleges, and
having satisfactory jobs; its real essence lies in helping men to live as better humans by

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respecting each other and learning to treat each other equally. It is high time the true
meaning of education is taken seriously and brought to the fore.
REFERENCES
1. Aikara J. (1980): Scheduled Castes and Higher Education: A Study of College Students in Mumbai. Dastane,
Pune.
2. Anderson E. (2000): From Normative to Empirical Sociology in the Affirmative Action Debate: Bowen and
Boks The Shape of the River. Journal of Legal Education, 50: 284.
3. Chitnis S. (1981): A Long Way to Go: Report on a Survey of Scheduled Caste High School and College
Students in Fifteen States of India, Allied, New Delhi.
4. Galanter M. (1984): Competing Equalities: Law and the Backward Classes in India. Oxford University Press,
Delhi.
5. HRD (1997): Selected Educational Statistics, 1996-97, Ministry of Human Resources Development,
Government of India, New Delhi.
6. Karlekar M. (1975): Higher Education and the Scheduled Castes. Journal of Higher Education, 1: 178-87.

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