Fwd: A Public Dialogue to discuss on SC/ST/OBC reservations in Higher Education (Insight Study Circle, 24 July, Saturday)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Anoop Kumar <anoop@insightfoundation.in>
Date: Fri, Jul 23, 2010 at 2:30 AM
Subject: A Public Dialogue to discuss on SC/ST/OBC reservations in Higher Education (Insight Study Circle, 24 July, Saturday)
To:

Insight Study Circle

 

 

Invites you for a Public Dialogue to discuss on

 

 

"Ways and strategies for proper implementation of SC/ST/OBC Reservation in Higher Education"

 

 

with a team of students and faculty members from Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

 

 

 

Date - 24th July (Saturday)

Time - 2.30 to 5.30 pm

Venue - Room No - 303, Indian Social Institute, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

 

Context -

Both Delhi University and JNU are the premier institutions of our country and recently have been in news for their obstinate and hostile attitude towards the implementation of SC/ST/OBC reservations both at the level of students' admissions as well as on the recruitment for the teaching posts.

On 5th August Delhi University is going to convert about 6,000 undergraduate seats reserved for OBCs into general category seats as the university is unable to find suitable candidates among the class that constitutes about half of the Indian population !!!

Not only OBC reservations, various colleges in Delhi University has had a long history of non-implementation of reservations for SC/ST students and denying them the opportunity of studying there on small pretexts and there have been regular complaints of caste based harassment of Dalit and Adivasi students by colleges' administration during the process of admission.

Then in JNU, the proponent of brahminical hegemony have been dishing out arguments ranging from 'SC/ST/OBC being genetically inferior' to 'Reservation in teaching posts will actually harm the disadvantage sections (read SC/ST/OBC) as it will result in exodus of well to do (read meritorious 'upper' castes) to foreign universities.

Which of these two statements sounds most ludicrous and racist? Amazed? These are the statements of well renowned scholars and academicians.

In this context, it is very necessary for all of us to sit together, discuss and strategise over ways in which we can counter the casteist tendencies of those who have the control over the educational institutions in our country and denying us our constitutional rights.

Above all the time has come for us to question the 'merit' of the system itself, under which about 80% of the Indian population is 'non-meritorious' enough to be denied admissions in simple BA and MA courses.

 
..................................................................................

About Insight Foundation -

 

It is a group of young Dalit and Adivasi students professionals that are committed towards creating various support systems for our students and to make our education system more equitable and inclusive.  Towards this

1. We are running a National Dalit and Adivasi Students Helpline (No- 0 9999 48 42 49, Mon-Fri, 10 am - 5pm)

2. www.scststudents.org   -  A Dalit and Adivasi Student Portal

3. www.blog.insightyv.com  - A team blog on contemporary issues

4. Insight Study Circle  - A monthly meeting on contemporary issues in Delhi

--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/