Odisha Visually-Impaired Students Demand Strict 5% BEd Quota Enforcement
Bhubaneswar: The All Odisha Students’ Union of the visually-impaired has formally urged the state government to rigorously enforce the mandated 5% reservation for persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Bachelor of Education (BEd) admissions. This appeal comes amid serious allegations of widespread irregularities and non-compliance with the reservation norms established under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.
Formal Complaint Lodged with State Authorities
In a detailed letter addressed to the principal secretary of the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department, the union's president, Basudev Nayak, outlined significant concerns regarding the inconsistent and improper application of the horizontal reservation policy. The policy specifically applies to BEd courses administered under the state's higher education department.
"The implementation has been non-uniform and lacks the transparency required by law," Nayak stated, emphasizing the legal mandate for equal opportunity.
Legal Mandate Under the RPwD Act
The union's correspondence explicitly cites Section 32 of the RPwD Act, 2016, which legally obligates all higher educational institutions to reserve a minimum of 5% of their seats for persons with disabilities. This provision is a cornerstone of India's commitment to ensuring non-discrimination and equitable access to education for PwDs.
Despite this clear statutory requirement, the student body alleges that numerous eligible candidates, especially those with visual impairments, are being systematically deprived of their rightful admissions. This deprivation, they argue, constitutes a direct violation of their constitutional and legal rights.
Specific Allegations of Systemic Flaws
The students' union has highlighted several critical procedural failures in the current admission framework:
- Improper Seat Earmarking: Inadequate and unclear designation of seats specifically reserved for PwD candidates across various BEd institutions.
- Merit Adjustment Issues: Failure to properly adjust candidates selected on merit within their respective disability categories, leading to seat wastage and exclusion.
- Record-Keeping Deficiencies: Poor maintenance and opacity in category-wise and disability-wise reservation records, hindering accountability and audit.
These flaws, according to the union, create an environment of ambiguity that disadvantages visually-impaired and other disabled applicants.
Government Response and Next Steps
Officials from the SSEPD department have acknowledged the complaint and confirmed that the matter has been forwarded to the higher education department for a thorough investigation. "The higher education department has been asked to look into these allegations meticulously and implement necessary corrective measures," a senior official remarked.
The union's demand places significant pressure on the Odisha government to audit its BEd admission processes, ensure strict adherence to the 5% PwD quota, and establish a transparent, fair system that upholds the spirit and letter of the RPwD Act. The outcome of this intervention could set a precedent for disability rights enforcement in professional education across the state.
