Is it time for a ‘boys quota’ at St. Stephen’s College?
By NVONews.Com Staff correspondent,
Whether it is the result of positive discrimination or the girls are really brighter could be a matter of debate but there seems to be a growing feeling that boys now need a quota. Though the first such attempt has been reportedly shot down in New Delhi but the reverberations of this effort is going to be felt everywhere.
‘Girls outshine boys’ has become a common headline and it is, in fact, any body’s guess. But the question is that, has this ‘outshining’ become a matter of concern? A newspaper report about country’s prestigious St. Stephen’s college in Delhi has brought this issue into debate.
Valson Thampu, the principal of St. Stephen’s college had proposed to introduce a forty per cetn quota for boys at his college. Though this proposal was turned down forcefully. But the analysts say that proposing such move is indicator of what is up.
Students get admitted in undergraduate courses like in other college on the basis of marks obtained in the higher secondary examination and an interview.
At present girls comprise of 66 per cent of the total students in the college. It may be recalled here that St. Stephen’s was a college for boys initially and it became a co-educational institution in 1975. When it became a co-ed college, the governing body had agreed that 75 per cent students should be boys.
As the marks obtained by girl students are getting more and more compared to the boys, the number of female students in the college has been rising over the past decade.
Valson Thampu had convened a meeting of staff members on Friday and sought their support to introduce the reservation for boys in admission.
As a minority institution of education St. Stephen’s college has the power to devise its own reservation policy. The governing body of such institutions decide the general admission policy. St. Stephens’s college has its supreme council to decide on this issue. This council is made of the Bishop of Delhi and representatives from Churches of North India. The staff council to the governing body that takes the final decision recommends any change in policy on admission.
Valson Thampu apprehends that the trend of increasing number of female students indicates the scope for male students would be further restricted in the future unless some measure is taken.
Thampu did not get any support for his proposal for reserving quota for boys. Instead this step was termed as a regressive one. One faculty member was furious enough ant walked out the meeting saying that such a proposal could not be discussed in a civilised forum.
But the issue does not seem to be that simple. There is an argument that out of the 60 colleges of Delhi University 25 percent is reserved for the girls. Clearly the number of seats available to boys is much less than the girls.
Though reservation for boys in this college and other institutions do not seem be possible but the debate would be hotting up.
Shortlink:
Posted by
Socialize