A Syndicate member aligned with the United Democratic Front (UDF) has urged the Calicut University authorities to drop considering reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Economically Weaker Sections categories in the appointment of teaching and non-teaching staff in affiliated aided colleges without a minority tag.
This issue has been listed on the agenda of the Syndicate meeting scheduled for December 30. The recommendation for reservations was made by the University Grants Commission.
P. Rasheed Ahammed, the Syndicate member, said in a letter to Vice Chancellor M.K. Jayaraj that there was a clear direction in the university statute on the reservations for the posts of teaching and non-teaching staff in affiliated colleges. The quota should be based on the direct payment agreement reached between the government and college managements decades ago, based on which salaries for staff are being paid by the government. Mr. Ahammed claimed that the existing reservation system was not against the UGC’s policies. Referring such matters to the Syndicate undermined the Office of the Registrar. A public discussion would not only lead to friction in society, but would also help communal organisations, he claimed.
