UGC Likely to Come Up with New Reservation Policy in Teaching Posts

The University Grants Commission is planning to come up with a new reservation policy in teachers’ recruitment. According to the new policy, the number of OBC/ SC/ ST faculty posts in universities recognised by UGC will be calculated department-wise and will not be based on aggregate posts in the varsity, the approval for which is still pending from the Ministry of Human Resources and Development. If given a go ahead, it will result in lesser teaching posts for STs, OBCs and SCs in universities.

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The UGC planned to frame new registration policy after the Allahabad High Court’s verdict on teachers’ recruitment in Banaras Hindu University (BHU). While hearing the case in April 2017, the court observed that the reservation in the recruitment of teachers in varsities should be based department wise, but not on aggregate posts in the varsity. Each department of the varsity must be considered as a unit and same reservation policy should be applied for each. According to the existing rules, each university is being considered as a unit and vacant teaching posts in all the departments are being clubbed together to apply reservation policy.

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During the hearing, High Court of Allahabad criticised UGC for implementing reservation in a blanket manner and urged the commission to revise the existing reservation policy in teaching posts. The verdict given by Allahabad HC will be applicable to all the universities across the country.

On the other hand, UGC has been urging the varsities to fill up vacant teaching posts and implementing new reservation policy now might disturb the recruitment process in varsities.