On January 20,2022, the Supreme Court of India (SC) upheld the reservation of 27% for OBC (other backward class) candidates, and 10% for the EWS (economically weaker section) candidates, in the all-India quota of the NEET (national eligibility cum entrance test) exam, conducted for admission into medical courses.
Judges DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna said that, “The way we understand merit should not be limited to individual agency or ability (which in any event is not solely of our own doing), but envisioned as a social good that advances equality, because that is the value that our constitution espouses.”
People against reservation often say that giving reservation in the medical entrance exam would be detrimental to the national interest.
The SC, in its wisdom, emphasised that mere high scores can not be the sole criterion for merit. It is possible that a student might not perform well in a competitive exam, but may do significantly well in other types of exams.
So, therefore, one needs to opt for different methods and tests such as objective questions, viva, interview, presentations etc.
“High scores in an examination are not a proxy for merit. Merit should be socially contextualized and re-conceptualized as an instrument that advances social goods like equality that we, as a society, value. In such a context, reservation is not at odds with merit but furthers its distributive consequences.”
In a country with such a large population, everyone ought to get an equal shot at things. Competitive exams can be a medium of giving equal opportunity to some, hence, it is used to distribute educational resources among students.
But, the students who come from backward classes and disadvantaged backgrounds, lack facilities and guidance, compared to students who can access good facilities such as coaching centres, personal tutors etc.
Therefore, the marks one scores should not be solely criteria. We need to assure everyone, irrespective of their gender, caste, religion or race, gets their rights. We should look at reservation as something which nurtures talent and includes more people.