THIS refers to the letter ‘Need for new recruitment policy’ (March 25). The writer’s suggestion that the quota system be abolished for both recruitment and admission would seem more appropriate had our country been developed.

The quota system allows people of all major areas of the country to be employed or admitted, or restricts their numbers on the basis of domicile. Although merit is sacrificed in order to observe the quota system, this idea is beneficial since dwellers of even those areas get a chance to study and work where schools cannot impart quality education for various reasons or problems.

How can you, for instance, compare the marks of a student having full educational support with  one whose teachers barely came once a week? This is the scenario common in KP and Gilgit Baltistan. Thus, even through quotas underprivileged students too can show their talents.

As for the deaths of heart patients in Punjab, they were examples of sheer corruption and not consequences of poorly educated officials -- the officials knew what they were actually doing.

Such negligence keeps taking place in Pakistan -- sometimes the funds for polio or dengue eradication are embezzled and at other times development funds vanish. Honesty is rarely earned through education or high marks.

If there is any room for negligence or dishonesty, it will certainly occur, whether the official concerned is highly educated or not. Corruption is at its minimum in the banking sector since accounting and auditing are regularly done and not because bankers secure high marks at universities or colleges!

Now Pakistan has technocrats controlling almost every ministry. Our prime minister, finance minister, petroleum and gas minister and others are all doctorates in their respective fields. However, our country is not making any considerable progress as there is no sincere ambition among them.

Why should we then blame the quota system for the inclusion of dishonest professionals in government and private bodies? I can bet that if officials with low marks are corrupt and negligent, so are then those having high marks.

Basically, it has become a norm to be corrupt since those honest officials who do not abide by ‘higher orders’ are either transferred or sometimes even themselves held for corruption. Take the recent example of the Sui gas engineer in Gujranwala who discovered the gas being stolen. How was he ‘rewarded’ for this?

SAANWAL KARAMAT BARLAAS Bagh, Azad Kashmir