tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post115156884604287829..comments2024-03-20T13:10:11.477+05:30Comments on nanopolitan: Sitaram Yechury on CPI-M's stand on quotasAbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06790560045313883673noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-1151738390151222142006-07-01T12:49:00.000+05:302006-07-01T12:49:00.000+05:30The fact that reservation policies in admissions t...The fact that reservation policies in admissions to higher educational institutions tend to benefit a creamy layer of SC and ST students is often taken by critics as prima facie evidence that these policies are failing to achieve their objective. Such an inference would be warranted, however, only if the primary objective of these policies were to improve the distribution of educational opportunities within the SC and ST communities. But reservation policies in higher educational institutions are obviously not the right way to promote such an objective; a much more promising way would be to expand SC and ST access to primary and secondary education and to improve the quality of the schools in which SC and ST students are most likely to enrol. <BR/><BR/>Positive discrimination policies in admissions to higher educational institutions should instead be understood as an effort to promote the integration of the upper strata of society – by increasing the access of members of highly disadvantaged and under-represented communities to elite occupations and decision-making positions.21 Such integration of a society’s elite promises a variety of benefits, including: greater legitimacy of the political system, better performance of jobs involving familiarity with and understanding of disadvantaged communities; more equal opportunity for ordinary members of SC and ST communities to resources and jobs; greater motivation of SC and ST youth to work to better their future prospects. From this perspective, what matters most in judging the success of reservation policies in higher educational admissions is whether the beneficiaries in relatively elite institutions succeed in completing their degree programmes and advancing into successful careers. The very limited evidence available on this question suggests that most SC and ST students enrolled in elite higher educational institutions in India do indeed go on to successful careers – certainly much more so than they would have in the absence of reservation policies.22Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13441809988487585009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-1151604604284505192006-06-29T23:40:00.000+05:302006-06-29T23:40:00.000+05:30'Reservations in the present conditions are a nece...'Reservations in the present conditions are a necessity that offer some relief to some individuals in these communities, enhance their confidence in their advance and seek to make them more equal in the vastly growing unequal society in India.'<BR/><BR/>Is he speaking about laxatives or reservations? His ill-concealed disapproval ('..offer some relief to some individuals..')speaks volumes. Class act.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13441809988487585009noreply@blogger.com