New Delhi: On Thursday, The Union Cabinet approved an ordinance on the reservation mechanism for university teachers during what is speculated to be its last meeting before the general elections. Various students' and teachers' organisations had been urging the government to bring an ordinance to restore the 200-point roster taking college or university as a unit for reservation in teaching posts.

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The University Grants Commission (UGC) had announced last March that an individual department should be considered as the base unit to calculate the number of teaching posts to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates, following an order by the Allahabad High Court in April 2017.

The Supreme Court had last month dismissed a review petition filed by the HRD Ministry after its special leave petition against the court order was rejected by the apex court. Earlier, in the wake of nation-wide protests, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar had assured teaching aspirants that the Centre was committed to restoring the reservation roster in educational institutes and there was no need for any agitation.

 "Few groups have decided to agitate. I would like to assure them that they need not agitate, the government will do justice. We will bring the 200-point reservation roster and how we will do it will be clear within two days," Javadekar had told reporters on March 5. A large number of teachers on Tuesday marched from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar against the “anti-reservation” 13-point roster system and highlight the central government’s failure to promulgate an Ordinance to restore the 200-point college/university-wise reservation roster.

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The march was part of a nation-wide bandh called by the Samvidhan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti to intensify stir against the issue of 13-point roster and the recent Supreme Court order on the eviction of tribal people from forest. The teachers said that for an entire year, permanent appointments have been frozen across universities and colleges and failure to issue an Ordinance restoring the 200-point roster will result in an inordinate delay in fulfilment of constitutionally mandated percentage of reservation to SCs, STs and OBCs in teaching jobs. It will also mean loss of livelihood for those currently working for long years in DU on ad-hoc basis.

 The Delhi University Teacher’s Association said that the MHRD has repeatedly promised an Ordinance but the Cabinet seems to lack the political will to ensure social justice and uphold Constitutional guarantee. The DUTA said it will intensify its stir against the dishonest delaying tactics of the government, unless the required Ordinance is immediately notified and implemented.