Reservation has taken a new spin with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal promising Delhi colleges for students from Delhi. He has promised 85 per cent reservation for students of Delhi in local colleges as part of poll promise.

This is a dangerous move and strikes at both federalism and free flow of talent. It is also highly divisive in nature. In a way, it smacks of ‘Delhi supremacy’.

Today it is Delhi, but what if other states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where a sizeable number of students from the north and abroad are studying, adopt the same rule? The reservation fever will spread to other institutions. Professional colleges have some or the other form of reservation for local students, but taking this to regular colleges is a wrong step.

Professional colleges have the Common Entrance Test (CET), but degree colleges offering post-graduate courses do not have a structured quota system.

The main problem is that states have different education systems and methods to evaluate performance. High marks obtained by students from certain states are no pointers to merit. The solution to this is not reservation in local colleges, but a common entrance test along the lines of CET.

Kejriwal’s concern is understandable when he pointed out that last year, a reputed Delhi college saw 140 of 150 seats being taken by students from Tamil Nadu. This is a huge abnormality and should be enquired into. It should be seen if other factors like low standard but high marks or money played a role. But surely, the remedy is not the type of ‘college reservation’ proposed by Kejriwal.

Talent should be the criteria in college admissions and marks obtained in the previous exam cannot be a yardstick. Rather than reservation, the way out is to provide a level playing field to students from Delhi and elsewhere.

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