The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admissions) Act, 2006 provides for 27% of reservation for students belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The government has increased the student intake by 54%, so that the number of seats allocated to the Unreserved category is not reduced. Millions have been allocated to increase infrastructure and faculty strength to meet the challenges raised by this massive expansion in higher education, which is supposed to empower the communities that have been for centuries deprived of the privileges of education and social upward movement. But the ground reality is shocking. Information obtained through RTI applications from several of the constituent colleges of the University of Delhi reveals that more than 55% of the seats reserved for OBCs have not been filled by OBCs in 31 constituent colleges of the University.
TOTAL OBC SEATS – 7059
TOTAL OBC ADMISSIONS – 3158
TOTAL OBC SEATS VACANT -3901 (55.26%)
TOTAL GRANTS RECEIVED -203,39,50,186
TOTAL POSTS SANCTIONED – 905
Table 1 shows that out of 7059 seats for OBCs in these colleges, 3901 were left vacant. These colleges have been allotted around Rs. 2 billion [203 crores] as grant and have had more than 900 faculty posts sanctioned. What is more shocking is that almost half of these colleges have overshot the number of admissions in the general category by more than 30%. That is to say, instead of giving seats to OBCs, these colleges are admitting general category students.
It is pertinent to note that the requirement imposed by the Supreme Court that OBC candidates can be given only 10% relaxation in the cut-off marks in comparison to the last admitted candidate in the general category is in a large way responsible for this sad state of affairs.
A cursory look at these figures should open the eyes of any impartial observer. Social justice is not what is meted out in the premier universities of our country. We need a large-scale mass movement to ensure that there is equality and justice in our society.
The largest number of seats in the reserved category quota are available in the OBC quota for which the admission process is the same as that for the general category. Those seeking admission under OBC category will not have to fill any preadmission forms.
OBC ADMISSIONS IN DELHI UNIVERSITY 2010-11
TABLE 1: DU Colleges’ OBC Admissions Performance versus Government Grants Received
| Name of College | OBC seats | OBC admissions | OBC seats vacant & Percentage | Grant received | Posts sanctioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Aditi Mahavidyalaya* | 223 | 81 | 142 (63.68%) | --- | --- |
| 2. Daulat Ram* | 174 | 70 | 104 (59.77%) | 9,87,25,000 | 62 |
| 3. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya* | 197 | 170 | 27 (13.70%) | --- | 39 |
| 4. Delhi College of Arts & Commerce | 155 | 90 | 65 (41.93%) | 5,69,00,000 | 17 |
| 5. Gargi | 366 | 181 | 185 (50.55%) | 10,76,00,000 | 38 |
| 6. Hansraj* | 307 | 267 | 40 (13.02%) | 34,00,000 | 63 |
| 7. Hindu | 252 | 155 | 97 (38.49%) | 8,23,25,000 | 44 |
| 8. Home Economics | 138 | 24 | 114 (82.61%) | 5,46,00,000 | |
| 9. Indraprastha | 273 | 65 | 208 (76.19%) | 15,61,00,000 | 57 |
| 10. Janki Devi Memorial* | 255 | 53 | 202 (79.21%) | 7,43,00,000 | 28 |
| 11. Kamala Nehru* | 232 | 67 | 165 (71.12%) | 7,65,00,000 | 12 |
| 12. Keshav Mahavidyalaya* | 139 | 52 | 87 (62.59%) | --- | 32 |
| 13. Lady Irwin | 266 | 110 | 156 (58.65%) | 8,39,25,000 | 25 |
| 14. Lady Shri Ram | 203 | 70 | 133 (65.52%) | 8,17,25,000 | 23 |
| 15. Lakshmibai | 350 | 105 | 245 (70%) | 10,59,83,835 | 78 |
| 16. Maharaja Agrasen | 171 | 108 | 63 (36.84%) | --- | --- |
| 17. Maitreyi* | 259 | 197 | 62 (23.94%) | 9,53,00,000 | 59 |
| 18. Mata Sundri* | 225 | 15 | 210 (93.33%) | --- | --- |
| 19. Miranda | 274 | 163 | 111 (40.51%) | 11,07,91,351 | 31 |
| 20. Motilal Nehru (E) | 182 | 42 | 140 (76.92%) | 6,97,00,000 | 7 |
| 21. PGDAV* | 259 | 109 | 150 (57.92%) | 9,61,00,000 | 12 |
| 22. Rajdhani* | 254 | 197 | 57 (22.44%) | 9,32,25,000 | 56 |
| 23. Ram Lal Anand (E)* | 182 | 110 | 72 (39.56%) | 6,28,25,000 | 40 |
| 24. Ramjas | 361 | 119 | 242 (67.04%) | 14,77,00,000 | 39 |
| 25. Satyawati (E) | 218 | 145 | 73 (31.48%) | 7,04,00,000 | 24 |
| 26. Shaheed Bhagat Singh | 255 | 96 | 159 (62.35%) | 7,57,00,000 | 15 |
| 27. Shaheed Rajguru | 58 | 22 | 36 (62.06%) | --- | --- |
| 28. Shyama Prasad Mukherji | 337 | 89 | 248 (73.59%) | 10,46,00,000 | 31 |
| 29. Sri Aurobindo* | 261 | 108 | 153 (58.62%) | 5,44,25,000 | 57 |
| 30. Vocational Studies | 230 | 78 | 152 (66.09%) | 7,11,00,000 | 25 |
* These colleges have admitted more than 30% excess in the general category.
The above table shows that the actual percentage of OBC reservation implemented in the 31 colleges listed was about 12% (instead of 27%) as 55.26% of 27%, i.e. about 15% of seats remained vacant.
N. Kirori Mal and Shri Ram College of Commerce do not appear in here as they have more or less admitted the required number of OBC candidates based on their sanctioned strength. But by having exceeded the number of admissions in the general category by more than 40%, the actual percentage of OBC admissions in both these colleges is way below the mark. Kirori Mal has received Rs. 12,20,46,997 as grant and 71 teaching posts have been sanctioned for OBC expansion. Shri Ram College of Commerce has received Rs. 1,29,00,000 as grant and 37 teaching posts have been sanctioned for OBC expansion.
This data is obtained through RTIs filed by the Academic Forum for Social Justice – an organization of the OBC teachers of the University of Delhi. The Forum has been working on issues related to the problems of the teachers and students of the Dalit and Backward Classes and Minority communities ever since it was founded 5 years ago. Dr Kedar Kumar Mandal(Assistant Professor, Dyal Singh College) is the President of the Forum and Dr Hany Babu(Associate Professor, Department of English, hany.babu@gmail.com ) is the General Secretary.
TABLE 2: Colleges that Admitted Less Than 50% of the Allocated Seats for OBCs
| Name of College | OBC seats | OBC admissions | OBC seats vacant & Percentage | Grant received | Posts sanctioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Mata Sundri* | 225 | 15 | 210 (93.33%) | --- | --- |
| 2. Home Economics | 138 | 24 | 114 (82.61%) | 5,46,00,000 | --- |
| 3. Janki Devi Memorial | 255 | 53 | 202 (79.21%) | 7,43,00,000 | 28 |
| 4. Motilal Nehru (E) | 182 | 42 | 140 (76.92%) | 6,97,00,000 | 7 |
| 5. Indraprastha | 273 | 65 | 208 (76.19%) | 15,61,00,000 | 57 |
| 6. Shyama Prasad Mukherji | 337 | 89 | 248 (73.59%) | 10,46,00,000 | 31 |
| 7. Kamala Nehru | 232 | 67 | 165 (71.12%) | 7,65,00,000 | 12 |
| 8. Lakshmibai | 350 | 105 | 245 (70%) | 10,59,83,835 | 78 |
| 9. Ramjas | 361 | 119 | 242 (67.04%) | 14,77,00,000 | 39 |
| 10. Vocational Studies | 230 | 78 | 152 (66.09%) | 7,11,00,000 | 25 |
| 11. Lady Shri Ram | 203 | 70 | 133 (65.52%) | 8,17,25,000 | 23 |
| 12. Aditi Mahavidyalaya | 223 | 81 | 142 (63.68%) | --- | --- |
| 13. Keshav Mahavidyalaya | 139 | 52 | 87 (62.59%) | --- | 32 |
| 14. Shaheed Bhagat Singh | 255 | 96 | 159 (62.35%) | 7,57,00,000 | 15 |
| 15. Shaheed Rajguru | 58 | 22 | 36 (62.06%) | --- | --- |
| 16. Daulat Ram | 174 | 70 | 104 (59.77%) | 9,87,25,000 | 62 |
| 17. Lady Irwin | 266 | 110 | 156 (58.65%) | 8,39,25,000 | 25 |
| 18. Sri Aurobindo | 261 | 108 | 153 (58.62%) | 5,44,25,000 | 57 |
| 19. Bhim Rao Ambedkar | 470 | 197 | 273 (58.05%) | --- | 40 |
| 20. PGDAV | 259 | 109 | 150 (57.92%) | 9,61,00,000 | 12 |
| 21. Gargi | 366 | 181 | 185 (50.55%) | 10,76,00,000 | 38 |
Mata Sundri has a writ for getting Minority Status pending before the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions. The college has nevertheless increased intake of general category by about 65% (see Table 2 above).
Published in the June 2011 issue of the FORWARD Press magazine
