In Australia they go by scores plus a points system - so you can add some points onto your score if you are Aboriginal, if English is not your first language etc but also funnily enough by postcode (Zip code to you) - if you come from what is deemed a lower socio-economic area you get extra points. It seems like nowhere has a purely merit based system anymore. So good luck getting any help if you are white and living in a reasonable suburb because your parents worked their butts off to make sure you had a good life!
Right. Merit is not how communist societies and institutions work. In the Soviet union, they routinely put morons in charge of engineering projects. While the most qualified found a place at the bottom making coffee. It makes sense to the communist mind.
It’s like rewarding Johnny with cake every week for doing poorly in school (after all it’s not his fault he’s dumb) and straight A Susie gets told she needs to go out and get an after school job to help with the cake fund for Johnny, and then poor Susie’s grades fall because she’s working instead of doing homework. No unfairness there huh? And Susie won’t harbor any resentment will she?