[Reader-list] IIM RESERVATION: Kozhikode Shows The Way

[Ranjith Thankappan]

There are many ways. This could be one of them. Dont hesitate to rescue yourself from the narrow brahmanical caste meritocraZy. 
Say YES to reservation; democratise yourself,;democratise brahmincal indian society 
let the real talent come to these educational agraharas and make it a better place of higher learning. 
jai bheem!!

http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20060424&fname=Cover+Story+%28F%29&sid=3

Kozhikode Shows The Way

A state initiative is imparting Dalit-Adivasis professional skill

S. ANAND

Much before the nation began debating reservation in IITs and IIMs, a slow
revolution had begun unfolding at the Centre for Excellence (CEx) in
Kozhikode. Established in June 2002 with the support of the SC/ST
development department of the Kerala government, CEx has been under the
"incubation" of IIM, Kozhikode. It offers a five-month Certificate Course
for Professional Development (CCPD), currently open only to Dalit and
Adivasi graduates from Kerala. According to Damodaran Nampoothiri,
programme director: "The course is focused towards imparting
communication, IT and managerial skills, personality development and
entrepreneurship. The students then either opt for higher studies or get
jobs in the public and private sectors." The Kerala government subsidises
the project entirely and pays each student a Rs 2,000 monthly stipend.

In six batches till 2005, a total of 208 Dalit and Adivasi students have
passed out of CEx. Of these, 37 have opted for higher studies, 34 have
found employment, accounting for a 35 per cent success rate. Some
students, such as K.R. Dilraj, have successfully taken the CAT and
procured an MBA from IIM, Kozhikode. "Before joining CEx, Dilraj was a
court clerk. Today, he earns Rs 8 lakh per annum as bank assurance manager
with ICICI Lombard Insurance in Hyderabad," says Nampoothiri. ICICI
Lombard recruited Dilraj not because he was an Adivasi. He was just good
for the job. CEx believes merit is nothing but the availability of
opportunity.

An opportunity M.M. Risha of Kozhikode also availed of. She came to CEx in
July 2003 with a BTech in Electronics and Communications besides 18 months
of experience as lecturer. After the CEx diploma, she completed her MTech
and is now systems analyst with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in Hyderabad. Her
salary of Rs 2.7 lakh per annum may pale in comparison to what IIM toppers
get, but factor this: she's the first graduate in her family. "My mother
teaches preschool, and father works as a coolie," she says. She
acknowledges the significance of CEx in her development: "What we acquired
there was not just technical knowledge. We were equipped with analytical
skills, ability to interact in discussions and given a booster dose of
self-confidence. Crucially, I felt comfortable being with other
Dalit-Adivasi students."

Says A.R. Vasavi, professor of sociology at the National Institute of
Advanced Studies, Bangalore, and advisor to CEx: "The quota policy won't
work without a focused and targeted programme. The CEx package is tailored
to specific needs of students. What's the point if IIMs take Dalit-Adivasi
students and neglect them? CEx accomplishes in five months what other
institutes can't in three years." Vasavi appreciates that the CCPD gives
young Dalits and Adivasis a sense of citizenship and tackles issues like
stigma via counselling. O.C. Geetha, a 2004 batch alumnus, now with
Infosys Technologies in Thiruvananthapuram, says CEx instilled confidence
in her. "Specifically, William H. Mackaden, a faculty member. For the
first time, on his insistence, I participated in an English-language
drama. Schooled in Walapad village, Thrissur, I wasn't confident because
of my rural background. I knew the language, but was afraid of expressing
myself." Post-CEx, Geetha, an electronics grad, did well in the Cochin
University MBA entrance and also landed the Infosys job. "I preferred the
job as my father had just retired."

Geetha also adds that their Sunday interactions with IIM-K students were
crucial. "Being on the IIM campus, though apart from it, gave us access to
MBA students who were very supportive." With the three-year incubation
period at IIM-K coming to an end, CEx has sought the support of the SC/ST
development department to turn into an autonomous institution called the
Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation (crest).

Says Amarnath H.Kalro, IIM-K's director when CEx was conceptualised: "CEx
was started in response to a specific request from the Kerala government
to help SC/ST students. Its model can and should be duplicated by all
IIMs. After the incubation, they can become independent." Given that IIMs
and IITs have been unable to fulfil the 22.5 per cent Dalit-Adivasi quota,
Kalro thinks there's need for such centres in every state. "Most states
have coaching centres for civil services aspirants among SCs and STs. I
wonder why similar efforts are lacking when it comes to IITs and IIMs."




-- 
" The so called caste-hindus are bitterly opposed to the depressed class using a public tank not because they really believe that the water will be thereby spoiled or will evaporate but because they are afraid of losing their superiority of caste and of equality being established between the former and the latter. We are resorting to this satyagraha not becasue we believe that the water of this particular tank has any exceptional qualities, but to establish our natural rights as citizens and human beings."

- Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Mahad Satyagraha Conference, December 25th , 1927 
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Our Media" group. 
To post to this group, send email to our-media at googlegroups.com 
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to our-media-unsubscribe at googlegroups.com 
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/our-media?hl=en 
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---



-- 
Ranjit


      From Chandigarh to Chennai - find friends all over India. Go to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups/citygroups/