Panel recommends inclusion of 28 OBCs on Socially and Educationally Backward Classes list for educational benefits

Educational concessions, including scholarships and reservation in admissions, would become accessible at the post-matric level for students of 28 classes of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) of the State if a recommendation of the Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes (KSCBC) is accepted.

The students of these classes, though on the OBC list, have been denied the educational benefits as the classes are not included on the list of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) maintained by the State government. The inclusion on the OBC list would make them eligible for reservation in government jobs. However, they need to be on the SEBC list for accessing educational concessions, sources said.

The KSCBC, headed by G. Sasidharan, has recommended that 28 OBC classes be included on the list of socially and educationally backward classes. Several organisations and individuals had approached the State seeking inclusion on the list.

Unified list sought

The commission has also suggested that the government maintain a unified list of OBC and SEBC so that educational concessions can be provided to the eligible communities. The single list can be called the list of socially and educationally backward classes. The inclusion of the 28 classes on the SEBC list would not incur any additional expenditure to the government by way of benefits given to them or deny others on the list their rights, the panel noted.

The panel concluded that the 28 OBC classes were also educationally backward after considering the reports from the Backward Classes Development department and the Kerala Institute for Research Training and Development Studies of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

‘Correcting injustice’

Besides appointments in government jobs, providing educational support such as reservation in admission to educational institutions and scholarships is indispensable for addressing the historical injustice committed against these classes and to promote social equality. Reservation in appointments and admission to educational institutions and scholarships shall happen simultaneously, it noted.

The Union government, as well as other States, are maintaining a common list of socially and educationally backward classes and other backward classes for providing reservation in employment and admissions to educational institutions and access to scholarships. The Kerala government can also maintain a common list for socially and educationally backward classes and other backward classes. The list can be modified from time to time on the advice of the KSCBC, it has suggested.