New UGC Norms: 60% Panjab University departments may not have SC/ST faculty posts soon

A LIKELY estimate shows that at least in 60 per cent departments of Panjab University, faculty posts will not come under the purview of reservation under Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) categories in any teaching cadre if the new formula for calculating reservation as laid down by the University Grants Commission (UGC) was to be followed.

On March 5, UGC circulated a letter to all universities and colleges across the country that the roster system would be prepared according to department or subject as a unit for all levels of teachers. The letter also stated that this department-wise roster will apply to total teaching posts in each cadre: professor, associate professor and assistant professor. A judgment passed by the Allahabad High Court in April last year has paved the way for the new formula.

According to information, there are 1,400 sanctioned faculty posts in 78 teaching departments of the university. Out of these, 950 are for assistant professors, 300 for associate professors and 200 for professors. Now, if the old UGC formula was implemented, taking the university as a unit, 202 posts of assistant professors will be reserved for SC/ST, followed by 68 for associate professors and 45 for professors.

Though PU has not calculated the number of reserved posts according to the new formula yet, experts said any department that has less than seven posts in a cadre will not come under reservation at all. They added that the university has still not made the calculation as the higher education regulator has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the decision of the Allahabad High Court.

A rough calculation by Chandigarh Newsline shows that in faculties such as languages, teaching posts in any cadre will not be reserved in nine out of 10 departments while there will be none at all in any department of the faculties of design and arts and education. For example, in the faculty of business management and communication, University Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management will not have a single reserved post as there are less than seven teaching posts in any cadre. However, University Business School and University Institute of Applied Management Sciences will have reservation for professor and assistant professor.

Experts further stated that larger departments such as University Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Department of Laws, University Institute of Legal Studies, Department of Evening Studies, University School of Open Learning and University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, among some other larger departments, will have reserved faculty posts for professor and assistant professor. However, they added, it was shocking that it was likely that there will be no reservation at all under the associate professor cadre.

Sources, on the other hand, said the varsity was already in the process of making a new roster and meetings regarding the same were in process. The Syndicate, they said, had raised the need to fill 30 vacant posts granted by the UGC. “It is a drastic reduction and it almost means saying no to reservation. The university has not filled ST posts since 2011 despite issuing advertisements for the same,” said a professor, who did not want to be named.
News Source (Indian Express)