ADMISSION WOES: Students initiate ‘Save Merit, Save Nation’ and calls the move unfair and unethical
After the state government's decision to increase the reservation by 74% by including more communities in the category bracket from the academic year 2019-20, students belonging to the open category are coming out against the decision in order to revoke it. The students initiated the 'Save Merit Save Nation' movement against the increased reservation policy and protested at Azad Maidan on Sunday.
"We are not against any caste or community. Neither do we want to remove the reservation policy in admissions. All we want is to bring back the 50% reservation policy and let the remaining be open for the open category students," said Sudha Shenoy, a parent and member of the movement. In Maharashtra, till 2018-19, 52% reservation was for the students belonging to the scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST), other backward classes (OBC) and special backward classes (SBC). However, with new communities being added, the 52% increased to 72%which means only 28% will be left for the open category students.
Parents and students stated that it is unfair and unethical on their part. "A student got admission in a government medical college by scoring 330 while I, who scored 545, didn't get any seat there. How is that fair? What is the whole point of studying and working so hard day and night for the exam if eventually, low-scoring students manage to get seats easily as they belong to the 72% reserved category," a student, who participated in the protest told this newspaper.
This move, by the government, will not be limited for the medical students but the students belonging to streams like engineering, law, professional, financial courses and even in the junior college admissions. According to the parents, this kind of situation has created huge disturbances during the admission process. Various communities and groups got affected since the increase in reservation policy as they are being deprived of seats achieved through merit.
"If admissions are given as per reservation and stuffs, will we be able to produce good quality professionals through - like say if low scorers keep getting admissions in engineering or medical colleges - will be able to bring best engineers and doctors eventually? This way, by not considering merit, the quality will be compromised," said another parent. They feel prestigious and elite education institutes have become a distant dream for a general or an unreserved category student even after scoring high ranks on merit.
The Save Merit Save Nation, as per the members, will be continue to stand against the addition in the existing 50 per cent quota. "Till the time a proper government resolution (GR) is not issued regarding elimination of that extra reservation, we won't stop protesting," added Shenoy.
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