SC, ST, OBC faculty positions lie vacant at IIM-Tiruchi: RTI data

Data received in response to a petition submitted under the RTI Act by the AIOBCSA has shown 83 percent vacancies in OBC, 86.66 percent in SC, and 100 percent in ST appointments

As much as 86 percent of faculty positions reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) has not been filled at the Indian Institute of Management-Tiruchi (IIM-T), according to data obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by the All India Other Backward Class Students’ Association (AIOBCSA).

The employment rate has also been dismal for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and OBCs, the association said.

Data received in response to the petition submitted under the RTI Act by the student body has shown 83 percent vacancies in OBC, 86.66 percent in SC, and 100 percent in ST appointments.

At IIM-T, the sanctioned strength of staff as of August 2024, covering SC, ST, OBC, and General, Economically Weaker Section (EWS), was 94.

“We don’t know why these posts are not getting filled. Why are institutions not keeping these rosters in the public domain? Why do we need to file RTI Act applications and get this data?” asked AIOBCSA national president G. Kiran Kumar.

He said the association, which has 1,000 members in Central universities, had been tracking parity in academic appointments since 2019.

“Through an RTI Act application, we had found that there were only nine OBC appointments in 45 Central universities in 2019. This prompted us to start this activism to look at the diversity and inclusion policies in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and IIMs,” he told The Hindu.

Recruitment details obtained from IIMs in Delhi and Bhubaneswar reflect a similar trend, Mr. Kumar added.

“When we are producing so many Ph.D scholars from premier institutions, where are these candidates actually working? In the case of IIM-T, no information related to postings of assistant professor, associate professor, and professor has been given. The rosters are not clear at the cadre and individual levels,” he alleged.

The association raised the issue of lack of diversity in academic placements with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in 2022 and 2023. “The minister sent letters to the institutions to fill these positions immediately, terming it as a ‘special recruitment drive of all backlog positions.’ But the process has not even come up to 50 percent of faculty positions so far,” Mr. Kumar said.

“Social reservation in employment is a constitutional mandate. How many days can people say that they cannot get staff? At least some improvements should be shown,” he added.

When contacted by The Hindu, officials at the IIM-T said the requested response had been provided to the AIOBCSA’s RTI Act query, and no further comment would be made on the issue.

Published - September 19, 2024 02:47 pm IST