Moily

New Delhi, Sept. 17: The final report of the oversight committee on 27 per cent reservation for students of other backward classes (OBCs) in higher education has virtually become redundant.

An interim report of the panel, headed by Veerappa Moily, was submitted to the human resource development (HRD) ministry last month, but the quota bill itself was introduced in Parliament on August 25.

The bill sets the parameters for reserving seats in higher education institutions from the next academic session. A standing committee of Parliament is now examining it.

Moily is delaying the final report, first scheduled for August 31. The date was put off to September 16. It is now due on September 30.

Explaining the delay, Moily said since the report deals with a “significant and sensitive issue”, it needs time. But one of the main reasons could be that the bill has already explained how quota should be enforced.

One highlight of the interim report was its warning against dilution of academic standards that may occur when more students are admitted to ensure that the quality does not decline because of quotas.

However, the Moily committee has skipped the two most controversial issues: one, whether the 27 per cent reservation will be staggered and two, if the creamy layer among OBCs will be excluded from the list of beneficiaries.

The bill says the quota implementation will be spread over three years and the creamy layer will be entitled to the benefits. It does, however, contain a list of institutions where seats will not be reserved.

With some key points having been dealt with, Moily’s final report will only have inputs from institution-level committees set up just before the interim report was presented. He has already said the nitty-gritty of increasing the number of seats will have to be worked out by the core committees of institutions. Each IIT and IIM, for instance, will have panels to decide just how many seats they want to add each year.

The interim report lays clear guidelines on maintaining quality after quotas, especially in the selection and admission process. “Institutions of higher learning which have established a global reputation (like IITs, IIMs, IISc, AIIMS) can maintain standards only if quality in both faculty and student is ensured,” says the report.

“The threshold for admission should be determined by the respective institutions alone, as is done today, so that the level of excellence is not compromised at all. There must be not unjustifiable demand on the institutions to lower admission standards,” it adds.