Finally, it has happened! After the ridiculous 95 per cent and 96 per cent cut-offs for the last few years, the cut-offs this year have finally touched 100 per cent and exposed the joke of these cut-off in totality.

The 'first list' cut-off for science students at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), University of Delhi, has been declared at 100 per cent, Hindu College is at 99 per cent and Lady Shri Ram College is at 97 per cent.

What people were failing to understand all these days ufffd the ridiculousness of it all ufffd they have suddenly understood in one stroke; that education is no more a matter of choice for Indians, its just a matter of chance.

Here lies the irony of our education system. Investment in education gives the highest returns to any nation and the same has been repeatedly quoted by UNDP. But unfortunately, education is the only public good in India other than health, which suffers from the old baggage of scarcity. The truth of course is that from the perspective of education, they are mostly giving just about standard if not sub-standard education with the biggest weakness being the abysmal quality of their faculty, teaching and communication abilities. As a nation, our education ministry has no clear cut policy or determination to provide quality education to every deserving student. It could have been done by the combination of two key methods. Firstly by increasing seats in the current so-called colleges of high repute; and secondly, by making hundreds of more such colleges all over the country. Both require a world class process of creating quality faculty ufffd apart from, of course, the determination of the government and the investment to back it up.