The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) should be exempted from reservations in faculty appointments and rather than specific quotas, diversity issues should be addressed through outreach campaigns and targeted recruitment of faculty, a Ministry of Education (MoE) panel has recommended.

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) should be exempted from reservations in faculty appointments and rather than specific quotas, diversity issues should be addressed through outreach campaigns and targeted recruitment of faculty, a Ministry of Education (MoE) panel has recommended.

The eight-member committee comprising IIT directors was asked to suggest measures on effective implementation of reservation policies not only in recruitment, but also for admissions.

In a report submitted to the government in June, the panel said that the IITs should be exempted from reservations because they were “institutes of national importance and are involved in research”.

“Being established and recognised as institutions of national importance under an Act of Parliament, IITs have ought to be listed under (clause 4) of the CEI (Reservation in Teacher’s Cadre) Act 2019, for exemption from reservations. This must be immediately reconsidered for inclusion of IITs in the Schedule taking into account the nature of these institutions, duties and their activities,” the report sought through RTI by a Lucknow based activist said.