OBC students urge UGC to increase fellowship slots to 5,000, address faculty position issues

NEW DELHI: All India OBC Students Association (AIOBCSA) wrote a letter to University Grants Commission (UGC) requesting for immediate action on issues pertaining to allocation of faculty positions for Other Backward Classes (OBC), fellowships, and student facilities. The students group highlighted seven issues that required to be addressed for ensuring “the equitable inclusion and development of OBC faculty, students, and scholars in higher education”.

In the letter, the AIOBCSA has suggested that the UGC should collect data from various universities and colleges to identify the shortfall in OBC representation. It also pointed out how the fellowships allocated for OBC students is insufficient given the increase in the OBC admissions.

Here’s the list of issues raised by the All India OBC Students Association.

Allocation of OBC faculty positions: The students demanded that the OBC faculty positions should be allocated in full proportion to the total faculty positions available in each higher educational institutes. They requested the UGC to conduct a nationwide data collection initiative to gather information on the social profiles of faculty positions across various universities and colleges.

“This data will help identify the shortfall in OBC representation relative to the total allocation of faculty positions in each institution. Addressing these gaps is essential for upholding social justice and ensuring fair representation in academia,” it said.

Directive against vacant reserved positions - The students group requested the UGC to issue directives to all universities prohibiting them from leaving any reserved positions vacant under the pretext of "None Found Suitable" (NFS).

“If eligible candidates are present for interviews, the interview board must be mandated to fill the positions with the respective reserved candidates. This will prevent the continued marginalization of qualified OBC candidates,” it said.

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Increase in National Fellowship for OBCs (NFOBC) slots: Currently, there are 1,000 slots under the National Fellowship for OBCs (NFOBC). However, this is insufficient to meet the increasing admission of OBC research scholars, the students claimed. Further, it urged the commission to increase the number of fellowships to 5,000 to accommodate more OBC research scholars and promote higher education among underrepresented groups.

Establishment of Phule Centers - They also proposed the establishment of Phule Centers across the country for the study of the social, political, economic, and political empowerment of OBCs. The objective of this proposal is to address the dearth of research on the OBC communities, “thereby contributing to the advancement of knowledge and the upliftment of OBC communities”.

Hostel facilities for OBC students in central universities - “In central universities like Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and the University of Delhi (DU), it is essential that OBC students and research scholars receive hostel facilities immediately after the admission process,” it demanded.

They also requested the statutory body to allocate funds for construction of hostels in various universities proportional to the student strength of each institute. Hostels with adequate living conditions are required for “vital academic success of OBC students”.

Special recruitment drive for OBC faculty positions - The students suggested conducting a special recruitment drive to fill OBC faculty positions in all universities in a time-bound manner.

Establishment of a fee regulation committee - It also recommended establishment of a national-level fee regulation committee to oversee and regulate fee structure revision in all universities. “While we respect the autonomy of institutions, that should be subject to higher level scrutiny when those autonomous decisions squeeze the opportunities of students from Socially, Educationally, and Economically Backward Classes. This committee would ensure that fee revisions are fair and do not disproportionately burden disadvantaged groups,” it added.