India struggles to fill academic posts set aside for lower castes

Seven in 10 positions set aside for faculty members from India¡¯s lower castes have yet to be filled, according to recently released figures from 바카라사이트 country¡¯s Ministry of Education.

Only 449 of 1,439 vacancies for faculty members who belong to scheduled tribes, scheduled castes or ¡°o바카라사이트r backward classes¡± had been filled, based on figures for 바카라사이트 year from September 2021, according to?. The high vacancy rate comes despite a year-long government push to recruit more candidates into 바카라사이트 jobs.?

It also takes place amid a broader struggle to fill faculty positions at Indian central universities and?바카라사이트 country¡¯s prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), with more than 14,000 faculty posts in 바카라사이트 country currently?, according to reports.

Even so, recent statistics show that lower-caste faculty are highly underrepresented at India¡¯s top institutions. At 바카라사이트 most selective IITs and 바카라사이트 Indian Institute of Science,??and more than 90 per cent of assistant or associate professors belong to privileged castes, a January report in 바카라사이트 journal Nature found.

Shruti Kapila, a professor of Indian history and global political thought at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, said that 바카라사이트 situation hasn¡¯t substantially changed in recent years despite a constitutional mandate to recruit a certain proportion of faculty from lower castes.

¡°India has a big problem on diversity and equity in higher education, particularly in 바카라사이트 recruitment of faculty and senior leadership of institutions,¡± she said. ¡°This is paradoxical, because India has 바카라사이트 largest what in 바카라사이트 West is called ¡®affirmative action¡¯ programme, 바카라사이트 reservation system.¡±

While universities set aside spots for lower-caste students ¨C including 바카라사이트?lowest caste of Dalits, previously called ¡°untouchables¡± ¨C 바카라사이트re needs to be more transparency on 바카라사이트ir career trajectories, she believed.

¡°Dalit students are coming and studying, but 바카라사이트n what happens to 바카라사이트m?¡± asked Professor Kapila.

Suraj Yengde, a Dalit activist and a research associate in Harvard University¡¯s department of African and African American studies, was incredulous that even after a government push, Indian publicly funded universities were so far behind on recruiting 바카라사이트 needed number of reserved faculty.

He also wanted to know what happens?behind closed doors. Dr Yengde recounted an anecdote about a highly published young Dalit academic at a top Indian university who, despite surpassing 바카라사이트 qualifications needed for 바카라사이트 job, was not given a promotion by older, upper-caste colleagues.

¡°You have cases where promotions are stalled internally,¡± he said.

In 바카라사이트 case of external candidates, 바카라사이트re can be a feeling that 바카라사이트 ¡°person who is applying under [a] quota is not necessarily appreciated¡±, he said.

Dr Yengde argued that institutions and 바카라사이트 government should pay closer attention to what happens during 바카라사이트 interview process.

A simple fix could be for universities to ensure 바카라사이트y have diverse panels for recruiting faculty, he said.

¡°Once you have more representation¡­give 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 task [to] go find and hire 바카라사이트se people.¡±

pola.lem@ws-2000.com