People's Democracy

Declaration Of The Convention

THE All India Convention on Social Justice organised by the Students’ Federation of India urges the government to implement reservations for the OBCs in all educational institutes from the coming academic year (2007) onwards. The government should simultaneously take steps to increase the opportunities for higher education and meet the growing demand. The Convention also demands the government to immediately enact legislation to ensure reservations in all private unaided education institutes immediately.

SFI believes that it is high time for the government to ensure social justice in education system that is under severe attack from the neo-liberal policies. The judgements given by the Courts too unfortunately did not rectify the situation and ensure social justice. Moreover some of the judgements had an adverse impact as they have decried that reservations need not be implemented in the private education institutions. It is in this background that the government has to come up with positive steps to ensure reservations for SC, ST and socially, educationally and economically backward sections among our society and help them to realise their dream of pursuing higher education.

SFI believes that the government should along with reservations simultaneously provide for scholarships and freeships to all the needy students. Unless economic assistance is provided to the needy students they would be unable to pursue higher education as the costs of education are rising by the day while the economic condition of the mass of our country is deteriorating. The government should ensure that there are no fee hikes together with providing them with financial assistance.

It is the duty of any democratic society to extend support and helping hand to the deprived sections of the society. The government should ensure that all the institutes of higher learning not only admit students from backward sections of the society but also conduct remedial classes for them. It is the duty of the government to ensure that these students are not looked down upon because of their backwardness but are encouraged to climb the socio, educational and economic ladder.

SFI is of the firm opinion that the admission of students from backward sections of the society through the policy of reservations does not compromise merit. Merit is a highly relative concept dependent on the socio-economic conditions of the people. There is ample evidence to show that merit is not compromised through reservations and the arguments to the contrary are extremely biased and speaks volumes about the prevalence of caste discrimination in our country. Experience shows that an institution can really grow in terms of ideas only if it reflects the composition of all the sections in that society and is inclusive true to the term. Moreover reservations and a concession in marks is given only at the time of admission, i.e. at the entry level and not the exit level or the qualifying examination, which is the same for the students for all the castes.

SFI also does not subscribe to the argument that as reservations have catered to the need of only the elite among the SC, ST and OBCs they should now be discarded. Reservations have proved to be one of the best mechanisms for affirmative action and are transparent and easiest to implement. If there is any failure in their implementation the means in which they are implemented can be reviewed and strengthened. This should no way mean doing away with reservations altogether. We believe that reservations for SC and ST should be implemented without the economic criteria but for the OBCs creamy layer among them should be excluded from this provision as the Supreme Court has rightly directed in 1993. The government should ensure reservations for the economically backward sections among the forward castes too as they too are at a receiving end of the neo-liberal economic policies and are deprived.

SFI is of the opinion that ensuring education for all is the duty of the State. The deepening of the neo-liberal reforms since the closing decades of the last century has seen the State abdicating from its responsibility of disseminating education in the country. Due to this failure of the State, private educational institutes are mushrooming throughout the country with a disastrous impact on fees, admission policy and democratic rights. In the background of this reality, SFI demands that the State fulfil its responsibility of providing higher education, and for private educational institutions, a mechanism to ensure social control - especially in the area of admissions, fee and content - should be established. Reservations should be ensured in the private institutions too by enacting legislation on lines of the 93^rd Constitutional Amendment immediately.

SFI has been arguing time and again, reservations alone will not solve the whole problem of backwardness. The Mandal Commission report itself recognises this basic truth and notes: "unless these production relations are radically altered through structural changes and progressive land reforms implemented rigorously all over the country, OBCs will never become truly independent. In view of this, highest priority should be given to radical land reforms by all the States”. We urge upon the government to take long-term steps to eradicate backwardness from the society by immediately implementing land reforms throughout the country. The Left led governments in West Bengal and Kerala has shown the way and this path has to be pursued for the betterment of the society. Real social justice can be achieved only through these steps.

The Convention urges the students not to fall into the trap of the upper castes elites and oppose reservations. The need of the hour is to unitedly fight against the depleting education and employment opportunities because of the neo-liberal policies. Let us join hands and fight for “education for all and jobs for all”.