Kozhikode Shows The Way

In six batches till 2005, a total of 208 Dalit and Adivasi students have passed out of CEx. Of these, 37 have opted for higher studies, 34 have found employment, accounting for a 35 per cent success rate. Some students, such as K.R. Dilraj, have successfully taken the CAT and procured an MBA from IIM, Kozhikode. "Before joining CEx, Dilraj was a court clerk. Today, he earns Rs 8 lakh per annum as bank assurance manager with ICICI Lombard Insurance in Hyderabad," says Nampoothiri. ICICI Lombard recruited Dilraj not because he was an Adivasi. He was just good for the job. CEx believes merit is nothing but the availability of opportunity.

An opportunity M.M. Risha of Kozhikode also availed of. She came to CEx in July 2003 with a BTech in Electronics and Communications besides 18 months of experience as lecturer. After the CEx diploma, she completed her MTech and is now systems analyst with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in Hyderabad. Her salary of Rs 2.7 lakh per annum may pale in comparison to what IIM toppers get, but factor this: she's the first graduate in her family. "My mother teaches preschool, and father works as a coolie," she says. She acknowledges the significance of CEx in her development: "What we acquired there was not just technical knowledge. We were equipped with analytical skills, ability to interact in discussions and given a booster dose of self-confidence. Crucially, I felt comfortable being with other Dalit-Adivasi students."

Says A.R. Vasavi, professor of sociology at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, and advisor to CEx: "The quota policy won't work without a focused and targeted programme. The CEx package is tailored to specific needs of students. What's the point if IIMs take Dalit-Adivasi students and neglect them? CEx accomplishes in five months what other institutes can't in three years." Vasavi appreciates that the CCPD gives young Dalits and Adivasis a sense of citizenship and tackles issues like stigma via counselling. O.C. Geetha, a 2004 batch alumnus, now with Infosys Technologies in Thiruvananthapuram, says CEx instilled confidence in her. "Specifically, William H. Mackaden, a faculty member. For the first time, on his insistence, I participated in an English-language drama. Schooled in Walapad village, Thrissur, I wasn't confident because of my rural background. I knew the language, but was afraid of expressing myself." Post-CEx, Geetha, an electronics grad, did well in the Cochin University MBA entrance and also landed the Infosys job. "I preferred the job as my father had just retired."

Geetha also adds that their Sunday interactions with IIM-K students were crucial. "Being on the IIM campus, though apart from it, gave us access to MBA students who were very supportive." With the three-year incubation period at IIM-K coming to an end, CEx has sought the support of the SC/ST development department to turn into an autonomous institution called the Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation (crest).

Says Amarnath H. Kalro, IIM-K's director when CEx was conceptualised: "CEx was started in response to a specific request from the Kerala government to help SC/ST students. Its model can and should be duplicated by all IIMs. After the incubation, they can become independent." Given that IIMs and IITs have been unable to fulfil the 22.5 per cent Dalit-Adivasi quota, Kalro thinks there's need for such centres in every state. "Most states have coaching centres for civil services aspirants among SCs and STs. I wonder why similar efforts are lacking when it comes to IITs and IIMs."