NRIs raise hue and cry over reservation

New Delhi, Jan 7 (UNI) The non-resident Indians today expressed dissatisfaction with the UPA government's move to provide reservation in institutes of higher education on the grounds that it would affect the quality of education.

During a session of 'Education' at the ongoing Pravasi Bhartiya Divas meet here, NRI's raised a hue and cry over the move to provide 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and demanded that their quota be enhanced in Centres of excellence such as IITs and IIMs.

The NRIs argument was that reservation will curtail opportunities for students from general categories and will hamper the growth of talent in the country.

UGC Chairman Sukhdev Thorat intervened at this point, to explain that though the government has decided to provide reservation to OBCs, it will raise the number of seats by 50 per cent so that opportunities for general students would not be affected.

He further said as far as the demand for increasing the quota intake for NRI students was concerned, the government would consider this in all seriousness.

Minister for Urban Development S Jaipal Reddy highlighted the strengths of the country and its potential for expanding educational facilities.

India is a land of contradictions and dichotomies and this extends to the area of education as well, Mr Reddy said.

''We have the IITs and IIMs at one of the scale, and teacher-less schools at the other. To correct these imbalances, India needs to strengthen linkages with its diaspora,'' he added.

Mr Reddy further added that the government would ensure that the children of NRIs, especially those working in the Gulf, get quality education.

He highlighted that the government has provided CBSE affiliation to 140 schools outside India, the National Institute of Distance Education has many study centers abroad and there were many schools in India affiliated to foreign boards.

The government has also reserved 15 per cent of seats in all technical colleges for the children of overseas Indians.

A CII spokesman said skill development was the only way to tackle the phenomenal task of re-building India through education.

The Executive Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, New York, P Jayaraman, said India needs to improve the quality of education so that the youth does not need to travel abroad for studies.

''India has a large need for technical manpower, for which the education system needs to be expanded,'' he said.

UNI