Page 22 - EW October 2024
P. 22

Education News



         mature postgrad students ready                                           had only 13,007 OBC candi-
         to debate national, political and                                        dates in the unreserved cat-
         socio-economic issues. On the other                                      egory. The remaining 5,844
         hand, DUSU couldn’t muster even                                          OBC students were placed
         a solidarity march over the horrific                                     in reserved category despite
         rape-murder of the medical student                                       their having qualified in the
         in Kolkata,” says Dr. Abha Dev                                           unreserved category,” said
         Habib, physics professor at Miranda                                      the commission.  As a result
         House, a DU affiliated college.                                          the OBC reserved category
           Nevertheless, the outcome of the                                       was reduced by 5,623 seats.
         DUSU elections is important since                                           On January 5, 2022, the
         the major contestants are backed by                                      ministry prepared a list of
         the BJP and Congress. Both parties                                       6,800 candidates who would
         want to be seen to have the support                                      have qualified but for mis-
         of youth in India’s largest public uni-                                  classification, and promised
         versity with over 600,000 students.   Protesting teacher candidates in Lucknow  to issue appointment letters
           With Delhi state elections sched-                                      “shortly”. However, since it
         uled for early next year, both parties   67.11  percent;  for  Other  Backward   was the year of legislative assembly
         deployed their star campaigners to   Castes (OBC) 66.73 percent; and 61.01   elections and with the model code of
         endorse the contestants. Meanwhile   percent for Scheduled Castes (SC)   conduct in force, the letters were not
         although there is some tension about   candidates.                issued.
         the DUSU election outcome in the   The final list of 67,867 selected can-  herefore, the government’s inac-
         offices of ABVP and NSUI, in the   didates was released in two batches —  Ttion was protested in a petition
         campuses of DU and 90 affiliated   June and October 2020. The remain-  filed in the Allahabad high court. In
         colleges, it’s business as usual.    ing 1,133 positions for ST (Scheduled   March 2023, the court observed that
                          Autar Nehru (Delhi)  Tribes)  candidates  were  left  vacant   there were several anomalies in the
                                          due to lack of minimally qualified ap-  reservation process of the examina-
           UTTAR PRADESH                  plicants.                        tion and directed the state to issue a
         Prolix recruitment               chorus of demands for category-wise   new composite list of successful candi-
                                            Almost immediately there was a
                                                                           dates within a period of three months.
         litigation                       disclosure  of  successful  candidates.   lahabad high court, the state govern-
                                                                             During the hearing before the Al-
                                          It was alleged that over 50 percent of
                                          selected teachers were drawn from the   ment acknowledged that the Res-
               dispute over the recruitment   unreserved (merit) category, with only   ervation Act had not been properly
               of 69,000 government school   3.86 percent  instead of the mandatory     implemented. In response, a revised
         A teachers in Uttar Pradesh es-  27 percent being drawn from the OBC   selection list was issued on January
         calated to the Supreme Court of India.   category, and 16.2 percent rather than   2, 2022 adding 6,800 more appoint-
         On September 9, the apex court over-  the mandated 21 percent drawn from   ments from reserved category candi-
         ruled an order of the Lucknow high   SC/ST categories. It was alleged that   dates.
         court to draw up a fresh list of recruit-  15,800 seats which should have been   This order in turn aggrieved general
         ees in response to petitions alleging   awarded to OBC and SC/ST graduates   category candidates whose number re-
         that affirmative action rules were not   were allotted to the general category   duced by an equivalent amount. They
         followed in the recruitment process.   candidates.                petitioned the Supreme Court which
           In December 2018, the UP govern-  In July 2020, this allegation was   on September 9, 2023 temporarily
         ment notified recruitment of 69,000   heard by the National Commission   stayed the Allahabad high court’s or-
         assistant teachers for the state’s 1.33   for  Other  Backward  Classes.  After   der. It also directed the state govern-
         lakh government schools. In January   enquiry, the commission found dis-  ment to issue a brief on its position by
         2019, 4.1 lakh candidates wrote the   crepancies in the criteria adopted for   end September (that is yet to happen).
         qualifying exam, the results of which   defining OBC and SC/ST for the exam.   The high court had directed that
         were published in May, 2020.     “There were 34,589 unreserved seats   the process of issuing a new list be
           A  total  of  146,000  candidates   in the examination. As per real figures   completed within three months. The
         cleared the exam which stipulated   (sic), 18,851 OBC candidates qualified   only protection it offered to assistant
         varying cut-offs for differing catego-  for admission under the unreserved   teachers appointed under the earlier
         ries  of  candidates.  For  unreserved   merit category. However, the first list   list was that they could retain their po-
         (general) candidates, the cut-off was   prepared by the education ministry   sitions for the current academic year.

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