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Posted on 06/14/2008 11:18:22 PM PDT by Arjun
Delhi: 50% Christian quota in St Stephen's
NEW DELHI: After months of speculation, St Stephen’s on Saturday clearly stated its stand on its minority status - 50% of seats in the college will now go to Christians. In what could be a blow to the hopes of students from other communities, St Stephen’s spokesman Sunil Mathew made it clear the percentage could even increase in future.
‘‘For this year, 50% is the cap on reservation for Christians. Next year we will look into the issue again.” Some seats will, however, be added for the sports quota.
Of the seats, 40% will be open to the general category, 10% has been reserved for non-Christian SC/ST and physically handicapped while students from the sports category will get a 5% quota over and above the sanctioned seats. All four groups have been categorized as Category A for Christians, B for general merit, C for SC/ST and physically handicapped and D for the sports category.
Mathew told TOI the decision was a reflection of what the college’s supreme council felt. ‘‘Members felt Christians were not getting sufficient representation in the college and so the quota had to be increased,” he said.
The release sent by Sunil Kumar Singh, Bishop, Delhi and chairperson, St Stephen’s Council clearly states:
“In any event, admission in Category A shall not be less than 50% and would also include Dalit Christian, Christian SC/ST and physically handicapped Christian candidates to the extent of 10% of the total number of sanctioned seats in the college.” Last year, the 40% Christian quota included 10% for Dalit Christians but there was no provision for the physically handicapped or SC/ST category.
The college will create new seats for students coming through the sports quota. But the admission procedure remains unchanged — 75% weightage to class 12 marks, 15% to class 10 marks and 10% to the interview.
My only problem with this is if it is getting State aid.
AFAIK, it is.
Christianity and affirmative action are incompatible.
I would assume this is a school run by either the Catholic or Anglican church and perhaps the board feels that its original purpose has been lost. There were some Catholic schools in the US that had so many non-Catholic students that they were in a similar position, although I think most of them have attempted to correct this now.
This is not a good idea. This will set a precedent. All communities will start to do the same and then you will see community schools and colleges for Brahmins, schools for other castes schools for Muslims - further ghettoization of people and then we will have more problems.
But hey, if the non-Christian staff of St. Stephens were also brought down to 50%, I am not sure it would be all that good a place to study in anyway.
Am I missing something here? What exactly is the objection to a minority in India having their own college, and reserving half of its admissions for its own members?
That will be the exact argument Muslims will use to start their madrassahs.
Besides, these colleges take taxpayer / State grants. Although I am against this in principle, the college is technically in its right to do it because India’s PC laws allow such largesses to “minorities”.
The objection is that this is wrong in principle. In any multi religious society, if people start playing favourites based on religion, how will there ever be assimilation and unity? This system institutionalises discrimination. Thats whats wrong with it.
That will be the exact argument Muslims will use to start their madrassahs.The objection is that this is wrong in principle. In any multi religious society, if people start playing favourites based on religion, how will there ever be assimilation and unity? This system institutionalises discrimination.
Besides, these colleges take taxpayer / State grants . . . I am against this in principle
As near as I can make out, your position that is that it should be illegal to have a Christian seminary anywhere in India?
Except that a seminary doesn't dip its paws into public funds, and does not have a bar on who are allowed into it as members. I'm sure a seminary would accept a Muslim into its fold, if a Muslim so desired to join it.
A seminary is different. Its a religious institution.
A educational insitution that teaches a non-religious course of study is what we are talking about here.
St.Stephens is run by the Church of North India (CNI), an evangelical group..of sorts.
This is a bad move for a host of reasons.Simplest being,you would degrade the quality level of a college, which had been regarded as the being among the best in India.Second,who or what constitutes the category of ‘Christians’, since there a host of denominations??
As I said, I’m not sure about this at all — maybe a smaller % would be better. 50% definitely seems like a lot
Why? The school is privately run and has every right to decide which students it allows in under any criteria.
Privately run-yes.With CENTRAL GOVERNMENT FUNDING.That means you need to learn to play by some common rules.
If the government are not happy about it they should pull the funding.
Yes, it is privately run, but is publicly funded.
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