2006年VOA标准英语-Indian Students Protest Plans for More Col

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
21 May 2006
 

Anti-reservation demonstrators shout slogans during a protest rally in New Delhi  
  
An Indian government plan to raise college quotas² for lower castes and disadvantaged groups has triggered angry protests by medical students and doctors. The government plan has reignited a heated debate over the system of reserving seats for disadvantaged groups as a way of bringing about social equality.

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Medical students have staged angry street protests across the country in the past week. Their anger is directed at a government plan to nearly double the seats set aside for the lower castes in federally funded colleges.

These include the country's premier³ institutes, such as the Indian Institutes of Technology. Competition to win a seat in these colleges is fierce - in many cases, only one in 400 applicants⁴ is accepted. But lower-caste students not only have a certain number of guaranteed seats, they are accepted with lower grades.

The decision to increase seats set aside for the disadvantaged, from about 25 to 50 percent, has infuriated students who say entrance to the colleges should be based on merit alone. 

Demonstrators march on a flyover⁵ in New Delhi, May 20, 2006  
  
Hundreds of doctors from government hospitals have gone on strike to show solidarity⁶ with the students. Among them is Anil Sharma, a senior doctor at New Delhi's premier government hospital, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

"See, if I score 91 percent or 95 percent marks out of 100, I am not getting a seat, but the person who is getting just 50 or 51 percent marks, he is getting the seat. So definitely there is discrimination for merit," he said.

Quotas were introduced in colleges and public sector⁷ jobs when India became independent to help members of the lower castes, also known as Dalits, who have suffered centuries of neglect and discrimination.

But critics charge that quotas are used by political parties to widen their support among the Dalits, while doing little to actually improve their lot.

Swati Agarwal, a student of medicine in New Delhi, has joined a hunger strike outside the country's top government hospital. She says the government should focus on improving the quality of primary schooling⁸ for the poor, so they can compete for college seats on an equal basis.

"Quota¹ is nothing but vote-bank policies. If they want to uplift, they have better ways to do that. They have to send them for primary education first," said Agarwal.

The government is standing⁹ firm on its plan to raise the quotas. It has also said it is contemplating¹⁰ measures to provide more jobs for the country's lower castes in the private sector, adding to public dissatisfaction.

But faced with growing protests, the government has promised to increase the number of seats in the colleges, to ensure that other students are not penalized¹¹. So far, this has failed to satisfy the protesters.

1 quota   

n.（生产、进出口等的）配额，（移民的）限额

参考例句：

• A restricted import quota was set for meat products.肉类产品设定了进口配额。
• He overfulfilled his production quota for two months running.他一连两个月超额完成生产指标。

2 quotas   

（正式限定的）定量( quota的名词复数 )； 定额； 指标； 摊派

参考例句：

• In fulfilling the production quotas, John made rings round all his fellow workers. 约翰完成生产定额大大超过他的同事们。
• Quotas of the means of production are allocated by the higher administrative bodies to the lower ones. 物资指标按隶属关系分配。

3 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

4 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

5 flyover   

n.立交桥，天桥

参考例句：

• It took workers more than one year to build this flyover.建造这座立交桥破费工人一年多时间。
• All that came to his bakery should go over a flyover first.所有来他店的人都必须先经过一座立交桥。

6 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

7 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

8 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

11 penalized   

对…予以惩罚( penalize的过去式和过去分词 )； 使处于不利地位

参考例句：

• You will be penalized for poor spelling. 你拼写不好将会受到处罚。
• Team members will be penalized for lateness. 队员迟到要受处罚。