Sun Jan 19 06:41:03 UTC 2025: **Tamil Nadu’s Arunthathiyar Reservation Policy Shows Elasticity in Admissions**
CHENNAI, January 19, 2025 – A Right to Information (RTI) request reveals the flexible nature of Tamil Nadu’s Arunthathiyar special reservation policy. Data from the Government Arts and Science College, Sathyamangalam, shows that while the law provides a 3% reservation within the 18% Scheduled Caste quota for Arunthathiyars, a significant number of students from this community are admitted under the open competition (OC) category.
The college’s data indicates that while only a small fraction of admitted Arunthathiyar students used the dedicated 3% reservation in recent years, a much larger number were admitted through the open competition category. This trend, confirmed by a Higher Education Department official, is not isolated to Sathyamangalam, suggesting a broader pattern across the state.
The 2009 law, enacted by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government, allows Arunthathiyar candidates to compete for seats outside the dedicated 3% quota after those seats are filled. This elasticity appears to be facilitating a higher overall number of Arunthathiyar students gaining admission to government arts colleges. The implications of this policy and its effectiveness in achieving its goals are subject to further discussion.
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