In a draft notification issued on Sept 5, the govt proposed dividing the 15% rural quota into two 7.5% components
Mangaluru : Private-school managements in Dakshina Kannada have urged the state govt to widen the scope of its proposed changes to the 15% horizontal reservation for rural candidates seeking admission to govt seats in professional educational institutions. In a draft notification issued on Sept 5, the govt proposed dividing the 15% rural quota into two 7.5% components. Under the proposal, one 7.5% share would be reserved for eligible students who studied from classes 1 to 10 in govt schools or govt pre-university colleges located in rural areas and managed by school education department. The remaining 7.5% would be available to eligible students who studied from classes 1 to 10 in educational institutions located in rural areas, irrespective of whether the institutions were govt-run or privately managed.
Mohammad Nawaz , president of the Dakshina Kannada unit of the Associated Managements of English Medium Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), said the benefit should not be restricted solely on the basis of whether a student came from a rural or urban area. There should be no discrimination,” Nawaz said. Nawaz said govt schools and state-syllabus schools, including aided and unaided institutions, should be treated equally while extending the reservation benefit. Students following the state syllabus appear for the same examinations, Kumar said, questioning the distinction between rural and urban students. However, a PU college lecturer said retaining a rural component was necessary as students in rural areas often lacked access to the educational facilities available in cities. Differences in access to teachers, coaching, infrastructure and transport could put rural students at a disadvantage while competing with their urban counterparts, he said.
“Poor children are found in both rural and urban areas. He suggested that private unaided schools following the state syllabus in urban areas should also be brought under the scheme. The chairman of a private school in Bajpe also favoured widening the scheme, saying it would benefit more students.