First reply to Sachar in: Muslims missing in institutes run by Arjun Singh’s HRD
September 23, 2008: The Indian Express
The number of Muslims employed in some of India’s biggest and best-known state-run educational institutions is abysmal, data available with the government and accessed by The Indian Express, shows. The skew is most pronounced at the higher levels, the data shows.
Just 26 of the total 361 Groups A, B, C and D staffers at IIM-Ahmedabad (7.2%) belong to minority communities. The numbers are worse for IIM-Calcutta: there are 19 minority community staffers among a total 346 (5.5%), none among 85 Group A officers, and only 2 among 48 Group B employees.
Assam University has 6 employees from the minorities out of a total 245 (2.4%), and Banaras Hindu University 237 out of 6,202 (3.8%). Minority institutions like the Maulana Azad Education Foundation (17%) and National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (28.5%) fare somewhat better.
The figures constitute the first bits of data coming in to the Department Of Personnel & Training (DoPT) and the Ministry of Minority Affairs after they asked all ministries to put together numbers of employees from different communities.
The effort at compiling the community-wise database followed the Sachar Committee recommendation that a National Data Bank be created, tabulating all information on the socio-economic and educational status of communities. Sample data is now available from some of the 119 educational institutions under the HRD Ministry.
The most glaring gaps are seen in Class A and B employees, which include gazetted officers of the rank of Deputy Secretary and above, and the equivalent of an Under Secretary respectively.The University of Hyderabad has 33 minority community staffers against a total 376 Class A employees; BHU has 83 out of a total 1465; IIM-A 3 out of 30. The National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai has 1 out of 54, and the National Commission for Minority Institutions, none.
¶While the low representation of minorities in Class A and B can still be explained citing lack of educational qualifications, what is the rationale for the abysmal representation even in Classes C and D?¶ asked a senior official. ¶Class C staffers are assistants to Section Officers, and Class D employees are sweepers, peons, drivers etc. This is a cause for worry,¶ the official added.
The Sachar Committee report focused on two critical issues: under-representation of Muslims in government jobs, and the duty of the government as the ‘ideal employer’.
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