Tepid water turning cold...

Back in school, we were repeatedly told to read newspapers to improve our vocabulary..blah..blah... I never really cared. But these days, I reckon I should feel proud about it considering all the rubbish that's poured in : [ Britney wants to be buried next to Monroe is probably the biggest piece of trash today.:) ]. However, not very long ago, I (accidentally, I assure you) see this article in the paper saying the govt. has decided to start 9 new IIT's! True, true...you've probably seen loads of people blabbering about the issue till date. But my frustration has got the better of me; Also, being an IITian myself, let me assure you that it frustrates me even more than it should. I don't promise a lot of fresh content but again, I reckon that hardly matters.
So, let's see what we've here...

* A ridiculous quota system offering 22.5% of the seats for the so-called SC/ST candidates? Check.
* Escalation of stupidity successfully exhibited when this is pushed to 49.5% to include BC's? Check.
* As if 7 is not a nice number, planning to set up 9 more IITs all over the place for some Godforsaken cause? Double Check.

Okay, that's probably enough reason for me to yell about it at whoever it may concern without giving any explanation. But I'm a nice, guy. I explain.
First of all, I do not understand why we have this glorious quota system. Now now, hold your horses.. I want you to remember that I'm talking strictly in the context of the IITs; At present I am not bothered of any other institution - educational or otherwise. I see negligible reason or sense in it, and I'm not typing away just because I've a keyboard here. I have reason. I cannot obviously provide you facts or numbers but here's an, for want of a better term, observation:
I know quite a few guys who've made it to the IITs via the quota system. Now, I have nothing against them - atleast the ones I know are nice chaps and good friends of mine. The problem is, I do not remember any of them getting what you could call 'decent' grades. There's no point in you saying "What's in a grade?" because , again from what I've observed, not many (if not any) have any enthusiasm about the courses they enroll for year after year. Sure, tastes vary and I know a lot of guys who've decided that engineering was not their cup of tea, and I've no problem with that. Let them do something else after they have endured these 4 years... But seriously, what's the bloody use if most of the "22.5%" turn out like that? And them guys ain't like they're into mgmt. or something - I just see them spending their time in blissful activities devoid of any practical use. I know a lot of chaps who are really brainy and dedicated but had to settle for the NIT's..and here I see these chaps gobbling up their positions with no emotion whatsoever.

Discussions like these sometimes do pop up in campus, and a common point raised in their favour goes like this: " A lot of the SC/STs are really underprivileged. They are very poor and couldn't possibly afford this education otherwise. They also need to and should shine.." ...and the crap keeps pouring. In defense, I'd like to point this out: No offense meant, but the people in specific who were saying this wear adidas tees and can afford other expensive rubbish. The type they were mentioning do exist I admit, and probably in a majority, but they are NOT the ones that make it to these IITs. If you really want to help them, help them with their schooling, etc. And if they're intelligent enough to crack the JEE, they're more than welcome here. But a majority of the ones who do turn up belong to the affordable class, who (usually) aren't serious about the educational system here and are here by clearing an abysmally low cutoff in the entrance exam.
Now, as a topping on the trifle, we have an increase in the number of students coming in, not on the basis of what's present between their ears, but because of some social status.
Where are we heading??? I know... In a few years time, I can see a 10% quota introduced for those who've really got the brains. And given the present times, it doesn't really sound too far-fetched.
Why are we dessicating Nehru's vision part by part? He said something equivalent to picking and training the best minds in the country. I didn't think that applied to only half the selected students. Sure sure...the government did keep the number of seats intact for the general category inspite of the new quota. But that hardly solves the problem.. Why? Resources. Some guy at the center thinks he can send shiploads of students to the IITs without giving a lot of thought about the infrastructure.
To top it all, we have the grandest and most irritating thing of all: 9 new IITs. Where you gonna get the faculty eh? Eh?? New institutes are starting with infrastructures that would make a pawnbroker proud. No campus, no staff; Only hundreds of more students coveting the IIT brand. Great. Awesome actually. It's not all bad, as all the bright guys who end up the the various NIT's get to have an IIT stamp. But seriously, do we need 9 IIT's to do that??? The campuses and the infrastructure might eventually be there, but the IITs were setup to provide quality education to those who deserve it. Apparently, we got about that "problem" by poking the word "those who deserve it" enough to dawn upon us that if we simply increase our intake, we'd have more deserving people. A couple of new IIT's would've been a wiser move. But 9? Who's the jackass who even thought about it??

Ten years from now, I really doubt if a guy can proudly go about saying he's an IITian. Ten years from now, paychecks are bound to drop, respect you garner would hit an all-time low and would stay there; The government would pretend as if every thing's perfect and couldn't have better.In some sense, yes. Well, it's all for the votes. We all know that, don't we.............? :)