Affirmative actions were put into place to fine-tune the historical mistakes committed by those who wielded power against the social, and cultural minorities. The government introduced reserved seats in formal jobs and educational institutions for the community's most socially disadvantaged.
The programme holds widely divergent opinions and in recent times has become a tool for politicians to gain quick votes. Debates brewing over the past decade has triggered various demands from different sections of the community globally, but often the root cause behind such programmes remains unsettled. Today everybody wants a slice of a pie which is getting smaller each year. The politics of appeasement has led to a unilateral interpretation of affirmative schemes often overlooking the dearth of resources and furthering a harrowing idea of "jobless growth".
In a majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy logged how universities and schools should only consider race as a factor for admission when all other ways to attain diversity have failed. Ending stereotypes, promoting cross-racial awareness and gearing students for an ever-more diverse society is too amorphous an idea to be not discussed without taking in the inputs of the aggrieved parties.
Many argue how a reduction in educational opportunity gaps by factoring in income as a criterion may result in as much or even more racial diversity. Mainly because often, people from socially vulnerable communities come from low-income groups. The application process must be made more accessible and more transparent, clearly stating out the financial aid benefits that one can take to achieve their education at lower rates than the usual. Colleges, non-profits and schools must come together to provide for an opportunity for deserving students coming from lower-income brackets to experience college and campus life broadening their perspective on the number of avenues they can move ahead on. Colleges and Universities must also consider the barriers one had to overcome alongside the eligibility test scores to get the right picture of each candidate.
The picture is still not entirely clear as many think that considering so many socioeconomic factors is not the most feasible option currently. This might even burden the college, and school resources as those coming from lower sections of society need extra nurturing and mentoring due to lack of such environments in their areas. While another rationale provided for such a situation is that institutions must have a free hand in considering which way, they want to address the issue of diversity and welfare of the deprived and underprivileged. They should be free to factor in the race or the socioeconomic reasons for their admissions.
