University Jobs: Non Natives Eligible for Reserved Teaching Posts in Jammu Kashmir, Says Govt | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has disclosed that candidates from outside the Union Territory are eligible for appointment against reserved category posts in teaching positions across universities, while making it clear that no review of the existing policy is currently under consideration.

The clarification came in response to Starred Assembly Question tabled by MLA Sunil Bhardwaj, raising concerns over reservation norms and their implications for local candidates.

In its reply, the Higher Education Department stated that appointments to teaching and non-teaching posts are governed by a combination of University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, as amended after the reorganisation of the erstwhile state.

The government said that teaching faculty appointments are conducted through all-India advertisement and open competition, in line with UGC Regulations, 2018, which mandate merit-based selection through duly constituted selection committees.

“Candidates belonging to reserved categories from outside the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are being considered for appointment against reserved category posts in respect of teaching positions,” the reply stated, citing UGC norms that do not restrict eligibility on the basis of domicile.

The government further clarified that this position applies across the seven public universities in the Union Territory, including the University of Jammu, University of Kashmir, cluster universities, Mata Vaishno Devi University, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Islamic University of Science and Technology, and the agricultural universities.

In contrast, for non-teaching posts, the rules are more restrictive. The government stated that only domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir are eligible to apply, with reservation benefits strictly implemented as per the JK Reservation Act and Rules.

The distinction effectively creates a dual framework—national-level competition for teaching posts and domicile-based eligibility for non-teaching employment.

On whether the government has examined the impact of allowing non-domicile candidates to compete for reserved teaching posts on local employment opportunities, the reply was categorical: “No.”

The government also ruled out any immediate policy changes.

“At present, no specific proposal for review or rationalisation of the existing reservation and domicile-related norms in university-level appointments is under consideration,” the department said, adding that any such proposal, if received in future, would be examined within the existing legal and constitutional framework.

The reply also highlighted that central universities in Jammu and Kashmir follow reservation guidelines prescribed by the Government of India, under which domicile restrictions do not apply for either teaching or non-teaching posts.

The disclosure is likely to trigger debate over the balance between maintaining national academic standards through open competition and safeguarding employment opportunities for local reserved category candidates in the Union Territory’s higher education sector.