The Government is now seeking to push through a quota system for even faculty at the prestigious IITs !! These quotas, for the SC/ST/OBCs, are to be introduced with immediate effect, and the government order gives the desired breakup of the quota as follows; SC - 15%, ST-7.5% and OBC - 27%.

For those teaching subjects in science and technology, posts will be reserved for Lecturers and Asst. Professors, and for subjects in management, social sciences and humanities, reservations will be applicable up to the professor level.

One IIT Director had this to say,

Some of the finest people have given up top positions and fat cheques that were offered to them in other parts of the world to come and teach in the IITs, despite the low pay scale that the government offers. With reservation in faculty positions, I see a day, not far from now, when the IITs will crumble.

Personally, I’m against reservation and quotas of any sort, especially in the education system, not because I have anything against a class or community, but simply because it is not fair to anybody. Those from the general category are left with that many less seats, and even among those from the SC/ST/OBC category, there are several who are brilliant and detest this kind of separatist treatment. I wonder why it is so tough for merit to be the deciding factor, rather than a person’s caste. 

To top it all, the HRD Ministry very graciously allows IITs to dereserve the posts after a year, if they do not get filled, which means only one thing - pre-election jingoism. It stinks !!