Lok Sabha passes teachers’ reservation Bill

Replying to a debate on the Bill, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said, “The Bill will give a major push to reforms in the education sector, making it inclusive and fulfilling aspirations of people from different categories.”

As many opposition members opposed the route of the ordinance and its timing before the elections, Pokhriyal said the ordinance had to be issued as the Supreme Court had declined to consider the government’s view on the matter and had rejected a review petition.

The issue emerges from an April 2017 Allahabad High Court order, in which it said that for the purpose of reservation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes in universities, an individual department should be considered as the base unit to calculate the number of teaching posts to be reserved. The order was challenged in the Supreme Court, which upheld the HC order. A review petition filed by the HRD Ministry in February this year was also dismissed by the apex court.

This led to massive protests from teachers and students across the country as it was feared the new system would lower the numbers of reserved seats in universities.

In March, the Cabinet cleared an ordinance on reservation mechanism for appointment of faculties in universities in order to overturn the HC and SC orders.

Describing this Bill as the beginning of new era in the country’s education sector, Pokhriyal said, “This proposed legislation shows the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s commitment for the welfare of the last man in the queue.” He also said that those opposing the Bill had exposed their lack of commitment to welfare of backwards in society.

While moving the Bill for passage, Pokhriyal said it aims to provide for reservation of posts in appointments by direct recruitment of person belonging to the SC, ST, Socially and Economically Backward Classes and EWS to teachers’ cadre in certain Central Education Institutions. He informed the House that there is also provision of 10 per cent reservation for EWS in this Bill.

During the debate, opposition members demanded that the Bill be referred to the Standing Committee for a comprehensive review. Congress leader Adhir Rajan Chowdhury said his party is not opposed to the contents of the Bill but questioned the urgency of issuing an ordinance days before announcement of Lok Sabha elections.

“I would oppose invocation of ordinance…this kind of arbitrary invocation of ordinance does not augur well for vibrant democracy,” Chowdhury said.

Observing that reservation in the past was only given to socially and educationally backward sections and never to economically backward classes, A Raja (DMK) demanded that 10 per cent reservation of EWS should be kept in abeyance and the Bill should be sent to a Parliamentary Committee for scrutiny.