The development is significant for several educational institutions, including the Delhi Universty (DU), where there was a confusion over the implementation of the new reservation formula in faculty recruitment.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Thursday wrote to all central, state, deemed universities, receiving grants-in-aid from it, asking them to postpone the faculty recruitment process till further orders in view of the pending matter of a new reservation formula in the Supreme Court.
The development is significant for several educational institutions, including the Delhi Universty (DU), where there was a confusion over the implementation of the new reservation formula in faculty recruitment.
The commission issued the order following a direction from the Centre. The UGC had received a letter from the government on Wednesday saying, "As you are aware, the Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) have been filed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the UGC in the case in the Supreme Court and same are slated for hearing tentatively on August 13, 2018... It would be appropriate if UGC issues a direction to all the institutions to postpone the recruitment process, if it is already underway, till further orders."
According to the UGC's March 5 notification, the universities were asked to calculate SC, ST and OBC teacher posts department-wise rather than institution-wise. The direction was based on an Allahabad High Court directive of April 2017. However, following the immense protest against the move, the UGC and the MHRD had filed an SLPs in the Supreme Court to withdraw the order and asked the educational institutions not to hire any faculty member using the new formula. However, there had been no clarity on which formula to follow while making the roster.
Meanwhile, amid "immense confusion" several universities, including DU, the Allahabad University and others, have started the recruitment process using the new formula. Raising the issue, DU Teachers Association (DUTA) wrote to the Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and requested him to intervene.
"This letter should not be allowed to divert our attention from our demand of restoring 200 point roster and withdrawal of March 5 letter. Now, all ad-hoc in DU must get rejoining on the first day. We demand absorption of all ad-hoc teachers working for years on the 200-point roster," said Rajesh Jha, a professor and member of DU's Executive Council.
Earlier in the day, during the Rajya Sabha proceeding, the minister also assured reservations in teaching posts. "Reservation is a Constitutional right... we stand by reservation and are committed to provide it to SC/ST and OBCs," he said.
The appointment process, that has been pending since 2016, was to start in DU in the third week of March. The university had already prepared the roster following the standard 200-point system wherein the number of reserved positions be calculated by treating the university/institution as a single "unit". But, after the UGC'S directive, the process could not move further.
LACK OF CLARITY
The development is significant for several educational institutions, including the Delhi Universty (DU), where there was a confusion over the implementation of the new reservation formula in faculty recruitment.
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