Murdering the Merit

The results for those selected to various medical colleges in J&K through the nationally held examination NEET are finally out. Though NEET 2024 remained mired in controversies, the process has now concluded. But the questions that were raised all this while remian. It is now for the relevant government agencies to do serious thinking on matters related to such high voltage exams and its effects on students.

The suggestions have already been flowing in from all directions. One of the key problems that surfaced up is the shrinking space for the Open Merit slot. It is a long debate now on the rationale of having different categories.

The idea of affirmative action has its own merit and cannot be ignored. Those placed at a disadvantage, in terms of economic status, geographical location, or societal categorisation, need to be helped in fighting that disadvantage. But now it has come to a stage where fighting for one disadvantaged section has given birth to another disadvantaged section.

That is a serious consequence and must not be ignored for too long. One, the government has created room for more categories, automatically shrinking that large population in the Open Merit space. Two, the reserved seats under different categories are managed in a way that dislodges many open merit seats.

Anyone in the reserved category getting a rank that places him in the open merit means another seat in that category falls vacant. This means that the reserved section doesn't only get the designated number of seats, but goes beyond.

This needs a revision. Third, a person from a backward area who has, through affirmative action, gotten into a top-notch job, still has that advantage for his or her children. These children get the best education in the best of schools, but still a seat remains reserved for them.

It again means a seat that was due to an Open Merit candidate goes to someone else. In such a situation the anxiety in this Open Merit population is mounting, and the government should take a serious call on that. If nothing, the government can declare Open Merit as just another reserved category and at least save it from the infringement that occurs due to the current scheme of things.