The faculties at Delhi University still don’t have enough scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) representation. Over the last two decades the central university has failed to implement the reservation policy for appointments,observes a parliamentary committee on higher education.
In the 22nd report (2018-19) which was submitted to the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the committee on welfare of SC and ST was particularly concerned over DU’s failure to fill up the reserved positions despite having qualified candidates.
Criticising the university’s “platitude” response, the committee said Delhi University had often said that the posts had been lying vacant “due to non-availability of acceptable candidates. The committee is reluctant to this stereotype reply. Presently there is no paucity of talented and SC/ST candidates, particularly in Delhi, who have qualified UGC-NET exam”.
It is also observed that many SC/ST candidates who had been teaching as ad-hoc staff in DU for many years were being labelled unsuitable whenever a permanent position was available.
Out of the total endorsed strength of 264 professors as on April, 2015, the report stated that Delhi University has only three such teachers in its colleges while there is no Schedule Tribe representation at this level. Of the 271 associate professor posts, there are only one Schedule tribe and seven Schedule caste teachers.
The post of assistant professors, coming under the reservation policy for over two decades, has a shortfall of 10 Schedule caste posts and 08 Schedule tribes as against the total strength of 421.It pointed out due to delay in recasting rosters between 1997 and 2013, the posts of assistant professors were filled as per distorted rosters.
At least 15% of the total positions are to be filled up by the Schedule caste candidates and 7.5% by Schedule tribes.
