IIT Bombay falls in line, starts faculty quota

After the initial resistance to quotas for its teaching faculty, India’s premier institutes are beginning to cave in. The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), has decided to introduce a reservation policy for its faculty at the level of assistant professors.

“We will soon release advertisements for this. We are looking at various ways to attract PhDs from the reserved categories for these faculty positions,” said Devang Khakhar, director of IIT-B. “If the reserved seats remain unfilled despite all efforts, they can be de-reserved after a year,” he added. Other than science and technology, IIT-B’s reservation policy will be applicable up to the level of professors in other streams like management and humanities.

According to a notification issued in 2008 by the ministry of human resource and development (MHRD), the IITs were asked to introduce reservations in teaching positions, which included 15% quota for scheduled caste (SC) candidates, 7.5% for scheduled tribe (ST) candidates and 27% quota for candidates from other backward classes (OBCs).

However, the IITs were reportedly unhappy with the order and had asked the ministry to revisit the matter. However, the SC/ST (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2008, which had sought to exempt 47 elite institutes from faculty quotas, including the IITs, could not be passed in the Lok Sabha due to opposition. Hence, the ministry order on faculty quota still stands.

Several other IITs have already implemented it or are in the process of doing so. “We implemented quotas earlier this year. The will be no compromise on quality, irrespective of whether it’s a general category or a reserved category,” said IIT-Roorkee director, SC Saxena. IIT-Kharagpur initiated the reservation policy in November this year and has invited applications for the posts. At IIT-Madras, while no appointments have been made, the process will be started soon.

IIT-Guwahati started faculty quota in 2008. “It is not a problem because unfilled posts can be de-reserved after a year. But the fear is that if the order becomes more binding, and if such flexibility is taken away, then we will be in trouble,” said director of IIT-Guwahati, Gautam Barua.