This Article is written by Kirti Sharma a Second-Year Law Studentof Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya (Khanpur Kalan)

Introduction

In a country that prides itself on being the world’s largest democracy, the caste system continues to be a defining factor in determining access to education. Wherein the continuation of which a recent judgment of Supreme Court of India became the talk of the town where supreme court bats for excluding creamy layer amongST/SCs from reservation . This judgment raised many doubts among the generation what exactly the caste is although the common definition of caste in India is a traditional system of social stratification that divides people into hierarchical groups based upon their occupation, birth, and social status however this definition is limited in its nature.The full scope of caste includes historical, cultural, religious, regional, and socio-economic dimensions.This article will inquire into the relationship between caste and education, historical background covers questions such as how this caste came into play, how education system was back then . Later part of this article will uncover the legal aspects of the same like why was this caste system made a part of the education system and will also compare with the other country and what changes could be made in order to strike a balance in the society. Last but not the least it will analyze the situation of modern times .

Background

Caste as defined by famous sociologist M.N Srinivas as a hereditary, endogamous social group associated with a special rank in a hierarchical system .The origin of the caste system has always been a topic which is debatable however it can be traced back from ancient sources which has evolved from thousands of year influenced by religious, social and economic factors . If we break down into phases. The first phase was of the beginning of Vedic period where it was divided into varnas which was around (1500-500 BC) followed by the emergence of the jatis and which was later on impacted by Buddhism and Jainism and then comes the medieval period where the caste system became more rigid and marked by the reinforcement of caste (500-1500 ECE) where more jatis emerged due to the change in the dynamic of occupation, regional culture and integration of local tribes into the same.In this phase concept like “Untouchability”,” purity and impurity” came into play who were referred as “Dalit”. Dalit were often given task which was considered impure by the higher caste Hindu which became the factor of excluding them from various resources of life including education which resulted into making them poor and marginalized them both socially economically Later on colonial power added fuel to the fire which introduced various reforms including education,economic reforms which later on benefited only higher caste Hindus (see Maculey’s Minute on Education) however with the continuous efforts of various reformers like DR. B. R. Ambedkar , Jyotirao Phule etc who fought for the rights of people who suffered being from marginalized groups.

Relationship Between Education & Caste

The relationship between caste and education in India is complex and multifaceted. Even after Independence and constitutional abolition of Untouchability.people from marginalized section were denied access to many resources including education due to poverty and discrimination.one such example can be seen in “Untouchables: My Family’s Triumphant Journey out of the Caste System in Modern India” (Narendra Jadhav ) . The statistical data shows that Dalits and OBC had less rate of attending schools.discrimination often led them to drop out from the schools and the infrastructure and the resources were less in number as compared to higher caste . Education has been always seen as the mobility factor among different groups of society which deprived people from marginalized groups from education resulting in lack of income and very weak economical conditions which further resulted into limited access to opportunities such as education, employment, and healthcare. Additionally it often led to exploitation of dalits in labor markets

Education : Legal framework

It has been rightly stated that“Providing justice and equality is different for different people” and education is one such key element in providing equality and justice to dalits and other marginalized group for all the historical wrong done with them .Again questions like why were they denied to gain knowledge and were restricted from entering in schools when asked, the answers has always been same because the work done by them was regarded as low grade but did anybody ever notice if they had not done such works the problems we are dealing now related to health and environment would have occurred before the time and if education were provided to them the development of the country would be at another level . Education serve as fundamental in constitution for achieving justice, equality, and the overall development of individuals and society.Education forms a foundation for equality and justice empower citizens and help them to be aware of their rights as enshrined in constitution India Article 14(Right to equality), Article 15(Prohibition of discrimination ) and in India equality in education and jobs sphere has been provided in the form of reservations for marginalized groups like Dalits ,OBC .

Analysis

Although continuous efforts made by social reformers and various trials and tests of policies like the mid day meal scheme, night schools and affirmative action helped some of the people of marginalized groups, today the modern world demands more than this . The reservation system aimed at promoting social equality has been subject of debate due to certain perceived loopholes such as no sunset clause as when reservation was introduced it was meant to be for ten years however it has been in continuous force since its implementation without a clear sunset clause or review mechanism to phase them out or reduce dependency. When reservation was primarily introduced economic criteria was not taken into consideration it was based upon social backwardness and caste which is contradicting with today's needs although EWS 10% (Janhit Abhiyan Vs Union of India.) criteria was introduced to address this but concern over equitable implementation remain.Political parties use these reservations as bait to serve their own purpose and they often win in this situation.Similarly these reservation based societies not only resulted in less development rates but also destroyed the talents of young minds. Time has come where the reservation, if considered in terms of providing equality, should be solely based upon the access of resources. It will cover those people who still come in marginalized groups who couldn’t enjoy the benefits from affirmative actions.

Comparative analysis

If we compare the reservation system of India with other countries for addressing historical wrongs most countries utilize policies that promote access and representation without implementing strict quotas, favoring holistic evaluation in education for example Canada where it is based on a scholarship system. In the UK it is primarily based on initiatives rather than quotas; the Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination but allows positive actions.

Creamy layer: its impact on Education system

The “creamy layer” refers to a subset of other backward classes (OBC) in India who are wealthier and advanced. Although it is for OBCs, if they will be implemented for SC/STs as well the education system will be at a different level as there would be merit based system and it will help those who do not get benefited due to them being at advantage of getting proper resources. It is difficult as it will challenge fairness but again with the implementation of right policies can help.

Conclusion

Caste is a very rigid part of society which cannot be eradicated simply by some implementation of policies . caste is something which is deeply rooted in the culture and tradition of our society when paired with education it becomes more and more complex resulting creating disparities and which often hinders the development of a country in a better way which sometimes creates a situation where person from marginalized group because of his caste got benefited enough to create a spot for himself in public institutions creates a feeling of envy and more holistic nature among different groups of society who are not marginalized as per constitution but are from unprivileged background often lead to suicide like situation a case study (The Long Struggle for an SC/ST Students Cell in Mumbai) to support the same . Today India demands for a balanced policy which includes all the people who are deprived of resources rather based on caste.

References:

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