Forestry students seek 100% reservaton in forest dept posts

Bengaluru: "We have demanded that B.Sc. (Hons.) Forestry to be made mandatory as the sole and compulsory educational qualification for appointment to the posts of Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), Range Forest Officer (RFO), and Deputy Range Forest Officer (Dy. RFO)”, said Akshay Kumar, President of the Karnataka Forestry Students and Graduates Association (KFSGA), on Monday.

More than 600 students from the three Colleges of Forestry in Ponnampet, Sirsi, and Irukka boycotted classes and staged a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, pressing for their long-standing demand.

The students began their protest on October 10 from their respective colleges and gathered in the state capital on Monday, asserting that their movement represents not just their own interests but the collective voice of forestry students across Karnataka.

“This step would provide greater opportunities for students who are specialized in Forestry and enable them to contribute effectively to the protection and management of forests in Karnataka”, Akshay added.

The students high lighted that in 2003, the Government of Karnataka recognized the professional competence of B.Sc. (Forestry) graduates and allocated a 50% quota for recruitment to the posts of ACF and RFO.

 In 2012, this quota for RFO appointments was increased to 75%, under scoring the importance of scientific forestry education for sustainable forest management. However, following amendments to the Forest Department’s Recruitment Rules in 2018, the quota for direct recruitment of B.Sc. (Hons.) Forestry graduates to RFO posts were reduced back to 50%.

The KFSGA has expressed concern that this rollback adversely affects both the career prospects and professional recognition of Forestry graduates. “Similar courses like agriculture, sericulture, horticulture, and fisheries have 100% reservation in their respective departments and are still eligible to hold positions in our department, whereas we have only 50% reservation in our own parent department”, said Yashas, a member of KFSGA.

The association argues that to ensure profession alintegrity and effective forest management, only candidates with a professional Forestry degree should be considered eligible for these key posts. B.Sc. (Hons.) Forestry graduates possess the specialized scientific knowledge required for sustainable forest and ecosystem management.

Allowing other degree holders to occupy these roles undermines the essence of professional forestry, they stated. Forestry graduates challenged the government's exclusion, stating that the decision negates the value of their education.

They stressed that if top students of forestry, like gold medalists, are deemed ineligible, the worth of their degree is called into question. The students posed a direct question: "Given the 60-70% overlap our curriculum shares with agriculture and horticulture subjects, why are we not considered qualified and preferentially hired within our specialized department?" “We are planning to continue our sit-in at Freedom Park tomorrow as well.

We are awaiting a response from the Forest Minister”, said Shakeel, a student from the College.