Amid a row over UGC’s draft guidelines on filling of reserved posts in higher education institutes, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said that not a single post will be de-reserved.
“Not a single reserved post will be de-reserved. There is no scope for ambiguity after the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2019,” Pradhan told PTI.
“Reservation in Central Educational Institutions (CEI) is provided for all posts in direct recruitment in Teacher’s cadre as per the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2019. After enactment of this Act, no reserved post is to be de-reserved. Ministry of Education has given directives to all the CEIs to fill up the vacancies strictly as per the 2019 ACT,” the Ministry of Education said in a post on X.
Earlier, the draft guidelines by the University Grants Commission (UGC) proposed that any vacancy reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates can be “declared unreserved” if enough candidates from these categories are not available.
The draft guidelines state, “There is a general ban on de-reservation of reserved vacancies in case of direct recruitment.”
“However, in rare and exceptional cases when a vacancy in a Group A’ service cannot be allowed to remain vacant in the public interest, the University concerned may prepare a proposal for de-reservation of the vacancy giving the following information: The proposal will be required to list — efforts made to fill up the post; reasons why it cannot be allowed to remain vacant and justification for de-reservation,” the draft guidelines read.
“The proposal for de-reservation in case of Group C or D should go to the Executive Council of the University and in case of Group A or B should be submitted to the Ministry of Education, giving full details, for necessary approval. After receiving the approval, the post may be filled and reservation may be carried forward,” the draft guidelines added.
The Congress alleged there is a “conspiracy” to end reservation given to SCs, STs and OBCs in posts in higher educational institutions and that the Modi government is only doing “politics of symbolism” on the issues of Dalits, backward classes and tribals.
