I would like to offer some thoughts in wake of the large number of articles discussing the 2005-2006 proposal by Indian Government for quota system (requiring 27% seats be reserved for backward classes) in central institutes.
There is no doubt in anybody's mind that the economically underprivileged need help to access key resources like health care, nutrition, education and a stable family environment to develop their potential and to access 21st century jobs. My contention is that handouts are not a solution to the three national challenges that the government must confront. (i) The government is failing to provide adequate health care, nutrition and education to its people. (ii) The government is failing to curb corruption and waste by the politicians, bureaucrats and the public -- corruption undermines national priorities, prevents the collection of taxes that could be targeted to help the poor, and impedes development. (iii) Science and technical education in universities is collapsing and, judged at an international level, only the central institutions measure up. Given the very high value that Indians attach to education, it is depressing to note that the only Indian universities in the list of the top 500 universities worldwide are IISc Bangalore (319), IIT Kharagpur (414) and Calcutta University (455). Of these, at least I don't understand how the first two are classified as universities.
From everything that I have read and observed, the only conclusion I can draw is that because the government has not been able to maintain standards in its universities nor develop more excellent institutions, it has chosen to confuse two equally important issues - maintaining excellence in education and helping the under-priviledged succeed - and created a situation that will not facilitate either goal but will have very severe consequences for the education system and future development of the nation.
It is a tragedy that politicians repeatedly seem to forget and ignore overwhelming historical evidence that preserving excellence in institutes of higher learning is essential and very fragile. To maintain excellence there must remain long-term commitment from all stakeholders -- the teachers, the students, the administration, the society at large and the government -- that is unwavering, driven by respect for merit, wisdom and foresight. I have seen many departments worldwide crumble quickly when agendas and/or strong but myopic personalities become drivers and implementers. Excellent departments become mediocre when institutional commitment wavers and when short term expediency trumps vision and long term planning. Rebuilding in today's competitive environment, even if one is lucky to have all stakeholders aligned, is very difficult and often takes decades.
Second, politicians fail to fully appreciate that people with talent have choices. Calls to sacrifice, in the interest of the nation, are empty when it is easy to see that the policies are destructive or are driven by agendas or do not bring with them a commitment at nation building. Such appeals at altruism, while displaying lack of vision and commitment in the behavior of policy makers, will find resonance in only very few individuals. (This is easy to demonstrate -- most of the academics and bureaucrats I know have sent their children to good universities outside India or are desperate to do so.) Today good teachers, professors, researchers and students have a global market to choose from -- they can move easily and quickly and are being actively recruited.
The real tragedy is that Indian education system serves a very small fraction of its population. In 2006, less than 25,000 students will find admissions in excellent science, engineering and medical institutes and colleges in India. Various sources estimate that 80,000 - 100,000 leave to study abroad. Thus, at best, only 100,000 -- 150,000 of the 25 million children born every year get quality higher education. This imbalance highlights a very severe problem. The children that are getting left out are a growing body of people who can see the possibilities offered by the 21st century and are acutely aware that they are being denied entry. Appeasement is, however, not the solution. Creating more good educational facilities, starting all the way from primary to higher education, is the only solution.
India can do much better. India, with the resources it is currently spending on education, can easily increase the number of good institutions by a facor of 2-3. This requires political will to reign in corruption and for the public to hold themselves, the bureaucracy, and academics accountable. Corruption is a society-wide issue and, unfortunately, society has gotten used to choosing the easy solution.
The divide between the haves and the have-nots is more dire and obvious today because in a globalized world those with means will find a solution -- whether in India or abroad. If one imposes the proposed quotas, the ones who will suffer are those from middle income humble homes who are not part of a special group that benefits from quotas and not rich enough to find solutions outside the system. So policy makers should rethink carefully about using quotas to level the playing field and giving the bottom rung a chance. First, they need to clarify for themselves what "field" they would like to play in. If it is competing in a global economy and system, then the field is not leveled by imposing quotas. It is leveled by allowing the best to rise to the top and creating more institutions. If the vision is a village economy of the 18th century, then this debate is moot -- then who needs excellent institutions of higher learning.
People who will get jobs with multinationals and major Indian companies will do so on the basis of performance and skills. To create wealth requires talent, entrepreneurship, capital, leadership and vision. The last thing India should want to do is drive out all the "good students with talent and resources" to foreign universities. These students will, by virtue of their training and exposure, end up getting the good jobs but will consequently have even less contact and empathy for the general population.
The greatest resource that India has today is the value people place on education and the sacrifices they are willing to make to ensure that their children get the best education. India is failing its talented children. The IITs, IIMs, regional engineering colleges, etc. have a reputation worldwide not because of the research carried out in them or the quality of their faculty. The principal factor is they have outstanding students -- students who can work hard, are intelligent and driven, and can perform under stress. The successful 25,000 students gaining entrance into these institutions are selected from about 500,000 kids that graduate from good high schools or those that have excelled in spite of their station in life. Today, kids in villages, towns and cities aspire and dream to go to these institutes. Don't kill these dreams by subverting the system. A fair examination and peer review system at all levels, without prejudice of race, religion, caste or socio-economic background, is the only workable system.
When leaders, politicians or policy makers choose which child's dreams to kill based on their own narrow agendas, they have lost all humanity and wisdom.
If there are inequities, and in India these are ubiquitous and painful to even contemplate, then these should be addressed starting at the primary school level (actually from the day a child is born). The government, policy makers and the public at large must make it their highest priority to provide better schools (and health care)for all, especially for those who are talented but cannot afford private schools.
If there are more qualified students deserving admissions in excellent institutions of higher learning then create more excellent institutions. In doing so one comes face to face with the harsh reality -- it is very hard to create excellence without valuing excellence. One must remember that the numbers of good institutions (the 7 IITs, the regional engineering colleges, the good medical schools, the IIMs, and other centers and institutes) have not grown substantially in numbers in the last 30 years. There are very good reasons for this and it is not dearth of good students. It is dearth of good faculty, good leadership, and very limited resources. Of these three factors, India has the resources to at least double the number of good institutions if its leaders cared about the country rather than focusing most of their energy on maintaining themselves in power by any means whatsoever, including stealing these limited resources.
It is very easy to corrupt and destroy -- it is very hard to build. I can only hope that both, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Abdul Kalam, who have at every occasion articulated the very same principles and values, are able to create a consensus with all national and state leaders and they, jointly, have the courage and wisdom to demonstrate that they value excellence. It is sincerely hoped that they overcome narrow vested interests and create a merit based society.
Neither the rich, nor the powerful nor the poor are intrinsically good or bad. What is good is a fair system that values merit and has compassion to help the weak and the marginalized. What is bad is a corrupt shortsighted system.
Leaders have to choose very carefully which kid's dreams to destroy when resources are limited. They have a choice. They can play God and leave a just system and legacy that grows with time. Or they make decisions based on selfish interests and narrow agendas and promote corruption that will only succeed in undermining the strengths of even working institutions.
Rajan Gupta