THE NEO-CASTE SYSTEM IN DELHI SCHOOLS

Last Year's Article

Afif Ahsen

In past there existed a caste system in India, imposed by the powerful and selfish people in order to monopolise the work, trade or service they were providing. Although no religion has given any sanction to the caste system, but the system has survived till date. Not only this, attempts are being made to re-impose the caste system one way or the other. The Nursery admission formula adapted by the private run schools in the capital is another such attempt in this direction.

Even though it is blamed that the Hindu Religion is based on the caste system, in fact there is no such religious sanction.

The most ancient scriptures—the Shruti texts, or Vedas, place very little importance on the caste system, mentioning caste only rarely and in a cursory manner. A hymn from the Rig Veda seems to indicate that one's caste is not necessarily determined by that of one's family:

Rig Veda 9.112.3

—I am a bard, my father is a physician, my mother's job is to grind the corn.

In the Vedic period, there also seems to be no discrimination against the Shudras on the issue of hearing of the sacred words of the Vedas and fully participating in all religious rituals, something which became totally banned in the later times.

Though it is mentioned in the scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita and Manusmriti that the four varnas are created by God. However, at the same time, the Gita says that one's varna is to be understood from one's personal qualities and one's karma (work), not one's birth.

Manusmriti, contains some laws that codified the caste system. Varna is mentioned as caste equivalent in Manusmriti. Manusmriti and some other shastras mention four varnas: The Brahmins (teachers, scholars and priests), the Kshatriyas (kings and warriors), the Vaishyas (traders, landowners and some artisan groups), and Shudras (agriculturists, service providers, and some artisan groups). Another group of untouchables excluded from the main society was called Parjanya or Antyaja. A varna can be viewed as a group of castes or a social division that consists of various sub-castes called jātis.

Even passages in Manusmriti and other scriptures suggest that the Indian caste system was originally non-hereditary:

ManuSmriti X:65

— As the son of Shudra can attain the rank of a Brahman, the son of Brahman can attain rank of a Shudra. Even so with him who is born of a Vaishya or a Kshatriya.

The point formula adapted by the private schools has the sanction of the Delhi Govt. which was presented to the Delhi High Court. It is now being assailed for giving weightage to the wards born to mothers or fathers who are well educated and or have jobs such as Doctor, Engineers etc. Because they are being given more points in comparison to the wards born to less educated or uneducated parents. Does it mean that the ward born to uneducated parents have no right to education.

The Ashok Ganguly Committee which was mandated by the Delhi Govt. to recommend criteria for admission to the Nursery class in private schools here in the Capital, had submitted a formula to the Delhi High Court in 2007.

The Committee, among other things, recommended award of five points to children/applicants of persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes while preparing the merit list for admission.

It fixed points to be awarded to parents of wards, under the academic qualifications head, for graduation and above (father and mother) to five points. Whereas It recommended three points for the wards of under-graduate parents. Which means that the wards born to parents who are uneducated or less educated will be denied the right to equality in getting the quality education.

However the Government went a step further and filed an affidavit before the Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice M.K. Sharma and Justice Sanjiv Khanna where it said that it was opposed to the Ashok Ganguly Committee’s recommendation for a uniform formula for admission to Nursery admissions in these schools.

“Each school should be allowed to define and adopt its own admission formula and marking scheme from out of a set of parameters so that their autonomy as given under Rule 145 of the Delhi School Education Rules (DSER), 1973, is ensured,” the Government said in the affidavit. The Government’s reply followed a query by the Court about its stand on the Committee’s recommendations for admission to Nursery.

The formula being adopted by the private schools is in consonance with the recommended criteria of the Govt. This recommendation is discriminatory and heavily loaded in favour of wards born to the parents who are well educated and have well to do professions like Doctors, Engineers etc. In fact this recommendation in itself is an exercise to create a neo-caste system in India in line with the much condemned cast system, prevalent in India in the past.

The statements now being issued by the Delhi government and the Department of Education are a farce. The government has done nothing but to issue statements. If any half hearted action is taken by the Government, it would lead to a plethora of litigations by the affected Private Schools who might decide to stick to the same formula.

In case Delhi Government is serious in stopping this creation of Neo-caste System, it should formulate and implement a new formula immediately using its administrative powers which should be uniformly applicable to all the schools in the Capital. This can be done through issuance of a notification.

The best one line formula for Nursery schools admission would be:

“All the wards residing within a certain distance will be given equal opportunity in the admission.

If the Delhi Government fails in its duty to do the needful urgently, the country will witness the emergence of neo-caste system, which will be very shameful and harmful to a country whose constitution guarantees equality to all its citizens.

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS ALSO CARRIED IN  URDU DAILY PRATAP & HINDI DAILY VIR ARJUN, LAST YEAR. HOWEVER, LATER ON THE POINTS FOR EDUCATION OF PARENTS AND POINTS FOR PROFESSION OF PARENTS OF A WARD SEEKING ADMISSION TO NURSERY SCHOOL HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN.