Gujarat: Writ petition questions reservation policy

The Gujarat high court issued notice on December 8 to the University Grants Commission (UGC), state government and all grants-in-aid universities in Gujarat (pop. 60 million), following admission of a petition demanding proper implementation of the Union governments reservation policy for SCs, STs and OBCs (scheduled caste, tribe and other backward castes/classes). A division bench directed the respondents — UGC, state government and all 13 state universities — to file their replies by December 28.The petitioners have sought direct-ions from the court to universities in the state to comply with UGC guidelines issued on December 6, 2005, praying for strict implementation of the govern-ments reservation policy in universities, colleges, and other grants-in-aid institutions and centres. The petitioners allege that varsities in the state are not complying with the UGC guidelines for adequate SC, ST and OBC representation in the executive bodies/syndicates/senate, thereby depriving members of these communities their constitutional rights. Meghalaya RTE implementation debate Educators, educationists, principals and teachers in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya (pop. 3 million) complained to the legislative assembly that Rules under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (aka RTE Act) have not yet been drawn up by the state government. The RTE Act became law on April 1, 2010. Representatives from church bodies, minority institutions and experts in the field of education, met on December 13 in Shillong to discuss ways and means to implement the RTE Act in the state. The interest of the existing stake-holders (in education) should be adequately protected while implementing RTE, said Manas Chaudhury, chairman of the subordinate legislation committee of the legislative assembly, speaking on the occasion. There are experts and groups running schools in villages and towns. The constitution of school managing committees should be left to these experts, he said. Punjab EGS teachers demand regularisation Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) teachers, who are demanding the regularisation of their services and permanent employee status, held parleys with Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal at Chak Fatehsingh Wala village in Bhatinda on December 20. Members of the EGS Teachers Associ-ation have been staging protests in Gidderbaha since November 29, demanding regularisation of their services by the state government. Among them, a group of six EGS teachers, including four women camped atop a water tank at Husnar village in Gidderbaha constituency for four successive days, EGS Teachers Assoc-iation president Pritpal Singh informed the media in Chandigarh. The six teachers are on a fast-unto-death even as district administration officials failed to mollify them. The EGS teachers held talks with Badal during his sangat darshan programme on December 20. Badal assured them that their issue would be resolved in a meeting with them at Chandigarh the next day. With a few days to go before the imposition of the election code of conduct in Punjab where legislative assembly polls are scheduled in early 2012, EGS teachers are exerting pressure on the state government for favourable consideration to their demands. More-over a few days earlier, the EGS teachers protest…