Jamia teachers rally demands minority status for varsity

NEW DELHI - Nearly 2,500 professors and administrative staff of the Jamia Millia Islamia university Monday assembled at Jantar Mantar, a stone’s throw from Parliament House in New Delhi area, to press their demand for recognition of the varsity as a Muslim minority educational institution.

The tag will allow 50 percent reservation for Muslims but no quota for any other category.

N.U. Khan, president of the Jamia Teachers’ Association, said: “This is another effort to press the government to recognise Jamia Millia Islamia as a Muslim minority educational institution in clear terms.”

“Reserving 50 percent seats for Muslims will leave the rest 50 percent for general category. Implementation of this reservation will do away with other types of reservations for the Scheduled Castes (SC), the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC),” Khan added.

He said that colleges like Khalsa and St. Stephen’s also have minority status.

Under the central government guidelines, all central universities must implement 27 percent OBC reservation quota. Jamia, which has a central university status, is yet to initiate the process.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has written many times that the varsity must implement the government rule or else it may face monetary sanctions.

The Jamia, established in 1920 by an act of parliament, currently has around 19,000 students.

The teachers’ march also saw the participation of MPs like Kamal Akhtar of the Samajwadi Party and Ahmad Saeed Maleehabadi, a Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal.