Over 90% IIT, IIM teachers from general category; OBC body urges education ministry to act

NEW DELHI: Over 90% of faculty positions in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are occupied by the general category, the All India Other Backward Classes Students Association (AIOBCSA) shared the RTI responses and urged the ministry of education to conduct an independent review of faculty recruitment processes in IITs and IIMs.

According to RTI responses received in September 2024, in at least two IITs and three IIMs, over 90% of the faculty positions are held by candidates from general category. IIM Indore reports 97.2% of its faculty belong to the general category, with no representation from the SC or ST communities. Second in the list is IIM Udaipur and IIM Lucknow with more than 90% general category faculty.

Among IITs, IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur report 80% of their faculty positions being occupied by the general category, with IIT Mandi, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Kanpur, IIT Guwahati and IIT Delhi showing similar trends ranging between 80-90%.

Besides the independent review of the faculty recruitment drive, the OBC students group demanded the ministry of education to ensure strict compliance with reservation policies and transparency in faculty appointments.

It also urged the ministry to expedite filling of vacant faculty positions reserved for marginalised and backward groups. It also recommended the ministry to direct the institutions to maintain a transparent faculty rosters and upload them in public domain.

Faculty composition in IIMs, IITs

By and large, across 13 IIMs, around 82.2% belong to the general category, 5% are from SC, 1% from ST, and 9.6% from OBC.

The OBC analysed the faculty composition of 21 IITs and found that 80% are from general category, and remaining 6% composed of SC, 1.6% of ST, and 11.2% of OBC category. These figures fall drastically short of the mandated reservation percentages of 27% for OBCs, 15% for SCs, and 7.5% for ST, it added.

“Even more concerning is the vacancy situation, which compounds this disparity”. Here’s the category-wise number of vacant faculty positions in seven IIMs and 11 IITs.

Also read IIT: Grievance redress system in ‘shambles’, governance needs ‘urgent reform’

“Such inequities not only contravene the reservation policy but also perpetuate systemic exclusion, impacting diversity and the aspirations of marginalised communities in academia. However, certain institutions like IIT Patna and IIM Jammu demonstrate relatively better implementation of reservation policies, proving that adherence to norms is achievable with proper commitment and monitoring,” the OBC students group said.