Mixed reactions to blanket 5% reservation for Persons with Disability

CHENNAI: Several members of Persons with Disability (PwD) are in dilemma regarding the Tamil Nadu government bringing all kinds of disability under the 5 per cent reservation in colleges/universities, instead of the previous practice of awarding one per cent reservation for each kind of disability.

The Tamil Nadu government till the last academic year had been giving 5 percent reservation for PwDs in higher education. Here, the 5 per cent was segregated into one per cent each, so that all kinds of students with any kind of disability, under the 21 kinds of disability, get the opportunity to pursue higher education in Tamil Nadu.

Apart from the different forms of disability, students with autism, intellectual disability, specific learning and mental illness were given seats under one per cent reservation and those with multiple disabilities from amongst persons with blindness and deaf including deaf-blindness in the programme identified for each disabilities were also entitled for one percent reservation in colleges However, the higher education department from the 2024-25 academic year had clubbed these categories and had declared the blanket reservation for PwDs in colleges and universities.

Subsequently, the information brochure of the TN Engineering Admissions (TNEA) of the Anna University in its first year BE/B.Tech degree courses had also mentioned the blanket reservation of 5 per cent for persons with benchmark disabilities.

Commenting on this, a person with locomotor disability on the condition of anonymity said, “Clubbing all the 21 disabilities approved by the the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act under one category and announcing 5 percent reservation common for all, will benefit only a few.”

“The person with locomotives and other kinds of disabilities might have advantages over those with sensory disabilities or vice versa,” added the person.

However, K Raghuraman working as an assistant professor, the Department of English at Government Arts College, Nandanam urged for a more transparent admission process in colleges and universities for PwD students.

“As we are unaware of the number of PwD applicants at each college/university, I urge the higher institutes to ensure a transparent admission process for PwDs. Higher institutes must reveal the number of PwD applicants and those given seats under reservation and those denied with valid reasons,” Raghuraman urged. However, other members of the community stated that there is no equality in clubbing the reservation. But, sources from higher education claimed that the announcement was made after thorough consideration and meetings.