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** * * ** ** ** Quota 'comes' to school The government's policy of reservation in higher education, expanded to cover Other Backward Classes, is now about to officially enter school classrooms — not in the form of quotas in admissions, but as chapters in a textbook. The National Council for Educational Research and Training, India's apex school curriculum authority, is introducing two chapters justifying reservations in universities and colleges in a new social science textbook which will be taught this year. Students across India's colleges and engineering, management and medical institutes have been among the most vociferous opponents of the policy of reservations in higher education. School education officials at the human resource development ministry said they were "hopeful" the textbook would "help a new generation of students understand the rationale" behind quotas. The social science textbook prepared by the National Council for Educational Research and Training for students of Class VIII contains an entire unit on "Social Justice and the Marginalised". The two chapters in the unit deal with backward communities and the need to introduce special laws and schemes to help them. The first of the two chapters — "Understanding Marginalisation" — tries to explain the social and historical reasons for the economic and educational backwardness of certain castes and communities. The chapter starts with a fictional conversation between an Adivasi man and his two granddaughters, presented to students in a cartoon format. The girls, watching a Republic Day parade on television, see an Adivasi floating and ask their Dadu why "they show Adivasis as only dancing". The Dadu then relates the story of how their family was evicted from their home in the forests of Orissa. The story ends with the girls pledging to use their family's story to sensitise their classmates. The next chapter — "Confronting Marginalisation" — tries to justify the need for special laws to ensure that backward castes and communities enjoy equal opportunities as those for the fortunate. "One such law/policy is the reservation policy that today is both significant and highly contentious," the chapter says. "The laws which reserve seats in education and government employment... are based on an important argument — that in a society like ours, where for centuries sections of the population have been denied opportunities to learn and to work in order to develop new skills or vocations, a democratic government needs to step in and assist these sections." telegraphindia.com/1080425/jsp/nation/story_9184920.jsp ** <http://www.jharkhand.org.in/contact.htm> . Jharkhandfun.wordpress.com <http://www.jharkhandfun.wordpress.com/> Jharkhandi Style Exclusively Marked * News TV <http://www.indian-tv.blogspot.com/> Blog <http://www.jharkhand.org.in/blog> Photo <http://www.jharkhand.org.in/photo> Music <http://www.jharkhandi.org/music.htm> Video <http://www.jharkhandi.org/video.htm> Live Chat <http://www.jharkhand.org.in/live> Directory <http://www.jharkhand.org.in/directory> Testimonials <http://www.jharkhand.org.in/directory> Forum <http://yahoogroups.com/group/jharkhand> Contact <http://www.jharkhand.org.in/contact.htm> . * -- Jharkhand Blog [EMAIL PROTECTED] Jharkhand Online Network www.jharkhand.org.in/blog
