People Who Get Reservation Are Inefficient ? No! Flashcards
It is a misgiving and prejudice that fetching relatively higher marks in examinations and knowing a language better constitutes merit. This concept of merit is based on capital acquired over generations that had access to good education, institutions with decent infrastructure, the advantage of parental gudiance, private tuitions and participation in governance.
*** On the contrary, when people who do not have the advantage of a privilleged background score relatively less marks in examinations, they are condemned as unfit for jobs; the hard work and perseverance behind their achievements is ignored.
A study by Alexander Lee and Rikhil R Bhavnani — “Does affirmative action worsen bureaucratic Performance? Evidence from the Indian Administrative Service” — looked at MGNREGA, the world’s largest anti-poverty programme, and found that officers recruited through reservations performed no worse than others.
In fact, members from castes eligible for reservation but recruited without affirmative action were found to have done better than others. Another study by Ashwani Deshpande of Delhi University in consultation with Michigan University (“Implication of Reservation in Railway Department”) found that where SC/ST employees were more in number, efficiency improved, and productivity got enhanced.
The Supreme Court judgment regarding the roster point in teachers’ recruitment in universities has irked SC/ST and OBCs. Earlier, the percentage of reservation was calculated over the entire strength of teachers in a university and the formula of calculating vacancies was derived from the percentage of reservation — that is 15 per cent for SCs, 7.5 per cent for STs and 27 per cent in the case of OBCs. According to a recent judgment, the university will no longer be the unit to calculate the percentage of reservation, instead the department will be treated as the unit. As soon as the UGC issued a circular calling for implementation of the SC order, universities advertised the vacancies in teaching posts that have been pending for a long time.
For centuries, specific castes have occupied the fields of education, trade and administration. This exclusion is the reason outsiders could conquer India and the society would be devoid of mass education, innovation and wealth. Inclusive societies that allow everyone to participate in any field, without letting caste restrict participation, have prospered. Diversity in all fields alone can guarantee the prosperity and progress of a nation.
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