HRD Minister Prakash JavadekarThe Union Cabinet Thursday approved the HRD Ministry’s proposal to bring an Ordinance to restore 200-point roster system for reservation in faculty jobs in higher education. HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar had on Tuesday reiterated the government’s commitment to the old formula for reservation in teaching jobs in higher education.
Last week, the apex court upheld the Allahabad High Court judgment favouring the 13-point roster for the third time. The High Court had ruled that reservation in faculty positions in universities should be calculated department-wise and not by taking the total seats in a university as the basis.
The judgment and subsequent UGC order of March 2018 implementing the verdict had irked political parties with a substantial support base among SC/ST and OBC communities because it results in limited seats available for recruitment by each department under reserved categories.
Shift would affect SC, ST, OBC representation
The switch from university-wise to department-wise reservation in faculty positions in universities and colleges is expected to make a big dent in SC/ST and OBC representation among teachers. This is evident from the projection made by the Union government in its review petition filed in the Supreme Court last month. If reservation is implemented department-wise, the total posts across SCs, STs and OBCs in 21 central universities will shrink from 2,663 to 1,241.
Explained: The ‘unit’ in teachers’ quota
Reservation based on department or subject as ‘unit’ means the number of reserved posts at the level of, say, assistant professor, will be determined separately for each department — based on the total assistant professor posts in each department. So, a department with only one professor cannot have reserved posts.
