Parliamentary Panel Slams Use of ‘Not Found Suitable’ Tag for SC/ST Faculty Candidates

TOI, AUG 17, 2025, NEW DELHI: Touching a raw nerve among the deprived communities and champions of social justice, a key parliamentary panel has said the “Not Found Suitable (NFS)” tag should not be used to deny Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) teachers opportunities in appointments and promotions. The panel acknowledged the prevalence of the controversial practice while urging "better judgment" in the recruitment of faculty members in universities.

The Parliamentary Committee on SC/ST Welfare, while making the observation in the context of a review of appointments in Delhi University, weighed in on a subject that has become a wider matter of concern.

“While interacting with the SC/ST Teachers’ Welfare Association of DU, a glaring issue that came to the fore was the declaration of SC/ST teachers as ‘NFS’ for posts earmarked for them,” the committee noted in a report tabled in Parliament during the ongoing monsoon session.

“The committee vehemently condemns the usage of the term ‘NFS’ to deny eligible SC/ST teachers opportunities in appointments and promotions. The committee opines that declaring SC/ST candidates ‘NFS’ is not only inappropriate but also hurts the sentiments of deserving, eligible, and well-qualified SC/ST candidates,” the panel, headed by BJP MP Faggan Singh Kulaste, stated.

The NFS debate revolves around allegations that authorities in educational institutions are manipulating fair employment opportunities for Dalits and tribals by dismissing their candidatures as lacking suitability for faculty positions.

Claiming large-scale vacancies against SC/ST quotas in central universities, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, recently blamed the governing BJP dispensation for the practice of NFS, which, he said, was being used to deny marginalised communities leadership roles in education.

“NFS is the new Manuvaad now. Eligible candidates from SC/ST/OBC communities are being deliberately declared ‘unsuitable’ so that they are kept away from education and leadership,” Gandhi posted on social media, triggering strong backlash from the BJP, which accused the Congress of having marginalised the backward classes in the past.

Now, the parliamentary panel has asserted: “In the present era, there is no dearth of eligible SC/ST candidates holding impressive credentials in teaching fields. The committee recommends that SC/ST candidates applying for teaching posts should be judged solely on their academic prowess and that strict norms should not cloud the better judgement of the selection panel.”

The committee further urged that SC/ST candidates be given ample opportunities and support in achieving their professional goals.