Standing by the GATE

We’ve heard others say people should earn their education so which was the better choice? None! A reconstruction to the programme was the answer, but would it be enough? Are the students and the people satisfied? Parents are complaining! How is it fair to those who make $10- 20,000 or less? People who do make those sums, it’s all that they make for the month, and they use that to keep their heads afloat. It’s probably the combination of two salaries, and they use that to pay bills, run the house and send their little ones to school, not to mention medical expenses.

Is it considerate to those who are struggling? To those who make less than 10k? How can they easily cut 25-50% tuition out of their salary to fund their children’s dreams? What about the number of children? Not every family has one child. The next genius could be hiding in these households that can’t afford! What makes it worse too is that jobs are hard to find so the children from these households can’t even help themselves.

Also with the rate at which this country is going another concern is raised: what if someone loses their job? What is the process after that? Children will have to apply for a leave or drop out? What about the unemployed students? What’s their story going to be? What are they to do? Will the news read “I didn’t have a job and I couldn’t afford to finish my degree so I had to sell drugs or steal”? Changes to GATE only look nice on paper! External socio- economic factors were not considered!

Another question comes when people start wondering what is this “Means Test”. How do you really evaluate eligible candidates? Is the parents/guardians’ income going to be considered only, or is it going to be the occupants of the household? We’re not really sure, but how is it fair, thus far? A parent instantaneously went into a fit of rage saying that GATE policies are attacking the middle class so that the reward will be people with menial jobs and cheap labour and a student is sore that GATE is being dissected while WiFi is being provided on buses ... to do what? Fund Pok?mon Go?

We also hear the students themselves, “Why is GATE open to each and everyone that decides one day they want to get a degree?” Students complain that weak students benefit from them in group work sessions, and the big question they’re asking is why are low scoring persons accepted to pursue a degree? Why waste money on someone that is 90% sure of bare passing to obtain a degree or going to drop out anyway? Students are saying that the system itself is to blame for the wastage of money, quoting a student, “how can you see grade Vs and some IIIs and stamp ‘Accepted’ thinking this person is not going to waste your money?”

So why are those who have the ability to perform well and deserve to have full funding pay while no one before had a problem with wasting money? Is it the students or the people’s fault or is it the fault in the previous system that wasn’t designed by the students or the people? Is it fair? Should deserving students be punished? Students who could one day make a difference?

So in the end of all technicalities, GATE ’s new bouncer is telling those who can’t afford to pay 25-50% tuition to forget about applying, gaining a degree and accomplishing dreams? GATE ’s new bouncer is telling those who can’t get a job or has just lost theirs to forget it too? GATE ’s new bouncer is telling parents and students it’s a “Peter pay for Paul and Paul pay for all” cycle after they’ve now realized they’ve wasted tax payers’ money with their eyes open? Or is it as the parent said, to attack the lower classes? Maintain that “rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer” motto?