The National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has proposed a Deprivation Index formula to assess the backwardness of students.

The formula will be used to quantify deprivation of various kinds to introduce affirmative action and make higher education as “inclusive” as possible.

This is apart from the existing reservation for SC/ST and Backward classes.

The Deprivation Index proposes to look at the “social background, caste, religion and gender, family education history, family income, type of school, place of residence (distinguishing between urban and rural areas, and accounting for regional deprivation) and physical disability.”

Set up in August 2005, the Knowledge Commission was in the news when the matter of reservation in IITs, IIMs and private educational institutions for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) had split the Commission and resulted in two resignations in May. However, the report submitted to the Prime Minister last month makes a case for viable affirmative action, apart from reservations, and has an entire section dedicated to “Inclusion” of the socially disadvantaged sections.

The 27-page report of the six-member commission headed by Sam Pitroda describes the “quiet crisis” in higher education as one that runs “deep.”

The other significant recommendations:

• An Independent Regulatory Authority for Higher Education (IRAHE) should be set up to look at setting and ensuring standards. (The IRAHE would effectively take away regulation of higher education from the Human Resource Development Ministry.) The IRAHE should be set up by an act of Parliament, with a chairman and six members, with six- year terms.

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