Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader and Villupuram Member of Parliament D. Ravikumar, in a letter to Minister for Higher Education K. Ponmudi has urged him to speed up filling up of backlog vacancies meant for Scheduled Castes in higher educational institutions in the State.
In the letter, Mr. Ravikumar said that a report of the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) for 2019-20 released on June 10 had brought to the fore the huge backlog of vacancies in teaching and non-teaching posts meant for SCs in higher educational institutions.
According to the report, the number of teaching posts had increased to 2,02,085 for the year 2019-20 as against 1,68,959 posts in 2011-12.
Mr. Ravikumar pointed out that as many as 33,126 new teaching posts had been created in the last nine years. However, the huge backlog of vacancies in teaching positions in SC category remains a cause for concern.
The number of teaching positions meant for SCs was 22,508 for 2019-20 as against 14,098 in 2011-12.
“If the stipulated quota of 18 % for SCs was implemented, as many 36,375 persons should have been appointed for the teaching positions out of the total posts of 2,02,085," the MP contended.
However, there were only 22,058 faculty positions in the State. According to him, as many as 14,317 teaching positions have been denied to SCs and remain vacant.
The MP said that the situation remained the same even in non-teaching posts meant for SCs as well. As many as 4,643 non-teaching posts have been denied to SCs.
Mr. Ravikumar said that the previous AIADMK government had denied the right to reservation to Adi-dravidars in higher educational institutions.
The State Government should come out with detailed lists of backlog vacancies pertaining to SCs.
A special drive should be held to fill the vacancies in the department he said, adding that the government should also ensure that regularisation of teaching and non-teaching posts do not affect the existing reservation for SCs.
The government should also direct private and self-financing colleges in the State to follow the reservation system in recruitment and enrolment of students, he added.
