The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Bill, 2019. The bill seeks to fill up more than 7,000 vacancies with direct recruitment of teachers under a quota system.

The bill will replace the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Ordinance, 2019. It will be introduced in the upcoming session of Parliament, which begins on June 17.

“The Cabinet decision will address the long standing demands of persons belonging to SCs/STs/SEBCs and ensure their rights envisaged under the Constitution,” a government press release said. “It will also ensure providing of 10% reservation to EWS [Economically Weaker Sections].”

The Ministry of Human Resource Development said that the bill is expected to improve the standards of teaching in higher educational institutions.

In March, the Cabinet had cleared an ordinance for reservation in appointment of faculty in educational institutions, PTI reported. However, this ordinance has now lapsed.

Last year, the University Grants Commission announced that an individual department should be considered as the base unit to calculate the number of teaching posts to be reserved for the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates. This decision was taken based on an order of the Allahabad High Court in 2017. The Centre unsuccessfully challenged the order in the Supreme Court in February.

However, the March ordinance and the bill approved on Wednesday introduces a 200-point roster system, as against the 13-point system the Allahabad High Court had ordered. The 200-point roster system makes the university or other educational institution the unit for reservation of posts in direct recruitment in teachers’ cadre, not the department.