Every few months, India erupts in protests over examinations, admissions or recruitment. Students demand fairness. Governments promise reforms. Committees are formed. The headlines fade. But the fundamental question remains untouched.
Should the doors to education and public employment be opened on anything other than merit?I believe the answer is no.A country aspiring to become a global economic powerhouse cannot afford to compromise on excellence. The best engineering colleges, medical institutions, universities and public services should admit the most capable candidates, regardless of their surname, caste, religion or economic background.Merit should be blind.
India’s reservation policy was born out of extraordinary historical circumstances. It sought to correct centuries of social exclusion and create opportunities for communities that had long been denied access to education and public institutions. It was conceived as an instrument of social justice.But policies framed for one era cannot become permanent features without periodic scrutiny.
More than seven decades after Independence, it is legitimate to ask whether the country should continue to rely on quotas as the principal instrument of equality or whether it is time to pursue a different path.The real inequality begins long before a student enters an examination hall.A child studying in a poorly equipped government school starts the race several laps behind one who has had access to quality teachers, coaching centres and digital resources.
By the time they appear for a competitive examination, the gap has already widened.That is where the State must intervene—not by lowering the bar at the finish line but by ensuring every child begins the race from a more equal starting point.Invest in government schools. Improve teacher quality. Expand scholarships. Strengthen nutrition programmes. Provide coaching support for disadvantaged students.
Build opportunities from the ground up.But once the examination begins, there should be only one yardstick.Merit.This is not an argument against compassion. It is an argument for fairness.Every talented student, whether from a village in Bihar, a tribal hamlet in Odisha, a middle-class family in Bengaluru or an affluent home in Mumbai, should know that success depends solely on performance.
Nothing more. Nothing less.Critics will argue that social inequalities remain too deep for such a system. That concern deserves serious engagement. The scars of discrimination have not disappeared. Yet the answer cannot be to make reservation the permanent foundation of public policy. A society that seeks equality must ultimately move towards a system where opportunity is equal and selection is impartial.
India’s demographic dividend will be realised not by distributing opportunities through competing claims but by placing the most capable minds where they can contribute the most.The world’s leading universities, research laboratories, hospitals and corporations compete relentlessly for talent. India should do no less.A nation of 1.4 billion people cannot reach its full potential if merit is constantly weighed against considerations unrelated to ability.
The debate over reservations is politically sensitive, and there are no easy answers. But difficult conversations are often necessary.If India truly believes in equality, the destination should be a system where no applicant is identified first by caste, community or economic category, but simply by talent, hard work and achievement.That is the idea of fairness worth striving for.
Discover more from BizNewsWeek
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
