Anitha, We Won’t Forget

Remember those long days spent solving problems, trying hard to remember chemical reactions, understanding free body diagrams and memorizing C-3 cycle so that we could accomplish what we dreamt of? I was told that hard work was the key to success, and I trusted them. But, I don't believe in that lie anymore. Hard work, only when backed with certain privileges, will guarantee success. Else sorry! your hard work is not sufficient. If this claim appears to be flimsy, let me tell a story of a brave girl from a small village Kuzhumur in Tamil Nadu.

S Anitha like most of us worked hard in class 12th and scored 1176 out of 1200 in her board exams. If the system was similar to that existed for the previous two decades, she would have been awarded a medical seat. But, the central government decided that NEET scores are mandatory for all medical colleges without proper notice to the students. This came as a structural disadvantage to rural students like Anitha who couldn't afford expensive coaching which her fellow urban CBSE students had access to. Unable to qualify the NEET exam she lost out on the medical seat.

Unlike many of us who fail to understand the structural discrimination of the state mainly because of the privileges we enjoy, Anitha not only understood this at the age of 17 but also, decided to fight for her rights. She challenged NEET in the Supreme Court claiming it was against the interest of rural students. But, how could she expect justice when she was fighting against the likes of Nalini Chidambaram who had the audacity to say "Any further appeal against NEET can only be done to God," after destroying the dreams of thousands of rural students. Unable to pursue medical science, she was heartbroken and committed suicide on 1st September 2017.


You may ask what this structural discrimination I'm whining about is? Aren’t all the qualified students meritorious? To answer these questions, let's recall the books we read, study materials we got, coaching classes we attended and the ease of access we had to all of the facilities that helped us clear the exams we desired to. Now imagine if you had access only to NCERT books, if you couldn't afford any form of coaching classes, would you still be where you are? R Ramanujam, Professor at Indian Institute of Mathematical Sciences, presented this inequity that prevails brilliantly in a talk organized by Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti. He says Science Education primarily reflects inequity:
1. Consider Kuruvamma, a 14-year-old rural Dalit girl, child of agricultural labourer. 
In terms of academic performance, which is the passport to economic upliftment, Kuruvamma has no hope of 'becoming' a scientist.
2. In terms of processes that encourage critical thought, that leads her towards freedom from fear and prejudice, school science seems to be of little help.
3. Kuruvamma does need modern science, the secrets that books hold. She needs to travel beyond experiential learning
Kuruvamma needs, even more, the language of science. 
4. When Kuruvamma cannot speak this language, entry into the world of science is denied to her. As in other forms, language is a powerful means of social exclusion, perpetuating inequity. 

And to address the majority who believe meritocracy is benevolent and just, Walter Kimbrough, the president of Dillard University, explains it well: “let’s stop discussing merit. It’s a concept that reflects power and privilege, connections and wealth. For many Americans, success is not achieved on merit, but by overcoming it.” The Chronicle Review, recently published an article, ‘Does meritocracy stall social mobility, entrench an undeserving elite, and undermine trust in higher education?’ which consolidates the opinion of scholars on meritocracy. In the article Lauren Schandevel, graduate from the University of Michigan writes similar to what Anitha tried hard to convey to the elites of our country, “A student could admit to spending $1,500 on SAT tutoring and still claim their scores were the result of hard work alone… For students who didn’t understand how power is transferred through elite spaces, this was discouraging. For those of us who did, it was infuriating.” 

When Anitha had filed a petition against NEET, she told a journalist in an interview, 'I want to become a doctor and save lives'. And, she was already trying by filing a petition against NEET in the supreme court. If the state had heard her, if the student community had supported her cause, if the urban upper class had decided to be inclusive she would have saved S Pradeepa, Subashree, Rithu, Vaishya and many others who were killed by the same exam in later years.   

 Anitha's story and that of Subashree and Pradeepa, tell us how we, as a society, have failed them. Instead of enabling their aspirations, the system has punished them for their courage. The effects of the exclusionary system are only visible when such severe and extreme cases come to light. However, hundreds of students making their way through this deeply rooted unequal system remain unnoticed.

By Naanavanalla

  


References
https://thewire.in/caste/merit-caste-reservation-medical-colleges
https://feminisminindia.com/2018/06/12/suicides-female-neet-aspirants/
https://roundtableindia.co.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9293:vernacular-for-dalit-bahujans-and-english-for-upper-class-caste-a-socio-political-conspiracy&catid=119:feature&Itemid=132
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/puducherry/pradeepa-didnt-want-to-burden-family-suicide-note/articleshow/64484334.cms
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/dalit-girl-from-tamil-nadu-who-challenged-neet-in-supreme-court-found-hanging/301107
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/dalit-girl-who-filed-case-against-neet-commits-suicide/article19601636.ece
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_S._Anitha
https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/library-full-books-and-hearts-full-love-anitha-s-family-keeps-her-memory-alive-97889
https://sabrangindia.in/article/neet-exam-only-elites