A recent study has revealed that faculty members appointed under caste-based reservation policies in India’s engineering colleges do not exhibit lower teaching quality compared to their general-category peers. Conducted by a team of researchers and published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in October 2026, the study examined the effectiveness of faculty hired through affirmative action policies. The findings suggest that despite having fewer PhDs and lower academic ranks, reservation-category faculty do not compromise student academic outcomes.

The research, titled “Affirmative Action, Faculty Productivity and Caste Interactions: Evidence from Engineering Colleges in India,” was carried out by Robert W. Fairlie from the University of California, Los Angeles, along with Saurabh Khanna, Prashant Loyalka, and Gagandeep S. Sachdeva. The study challenges the notion that recruiting faculty through reservation policies adversely affects teaching standards.

Faculty Qualifications and Experience

The researchers analysed data from a representative sample of 50 engineering and technology colleges in India, encompassing 2,710 faculty members and 20,239 students, primarily from computer science and electrical engineering departments. The findings indicated that reservation-category faculty were less likely to possess completed PhDs and more likely to hold a master’s degree as their highest qualification. Furthermore, they were predominantly in lower academic ranks, such as assistant professors, compared to their general-category counterparts.

On average, reservation-category faculty had 8.91 years of experience in higher education, while general-category faculty averaged 10.06 years. The study also noted that reservation-category faculty were less likely to have graduated from prestigious engineering institutions. However, the researchers cautioned against interpreting these differences as indicative of inferior teaching abilities.

Despite the disparities in qualifications, the study found no correlation between these factors and classroom performance, suggesting that teaching effectiveness is not solely determined by academic credentials.

Student Performance Outcomes

The researchers conducted an analysis of student outcomes across various measures to determine if faculty qualifications impacted classroom performance. In a significant part of the study, students were randomly assigned to different sections within courses at 12 colleges, minimising biases related to faculty selection based on caste or reputation.

Data from 2,268 students, taught by 501 faculty members across 1,277 classrooms and 415 courses, revealed that students taught by reservation-category faculty achieved course rankings that were, on average, 1.44 percentile points higher than those taught by general-category faculty. This difference was statistically significant and persisted even when accounting for faculty qualifications.

Further analysis showed no meaningful differences between the two faculty groups in follow-on course grades, attendance, dropout rates, or students’ plans for higher studies. Overall, the findings indicated that students taught by reservation-category faculty were not academically disadvantaged.

Implications for Future Research

The study also examined whether students from reserved categories performed better when taught by faculty from similar social backgrounds, known as the ‘teacher-like-me’ effect. However, no statistically significant advantage was found. Additionally, general-category students did not perform worse when taught by reservation-category faculty, countering concerns about potential resentment linked to reservation policies.

Beyond teaching, the research assessed faculty productivity through measures such as publications and administrative responsibilities. The results indicated no significant differences between reservation-category and general-category faculty in these areas. The authors concluded that disparities in research output and administrative roles were minimal and not statistically significant.

As the debate over caste representation and reservation policies in higher education continues, the researchers emphasised the need for further studies to explore the relationship between affirmative action and faculty productivity. They noted that while their findings provide valuable insights, limitations exist, including the data collection period and the scope of the study.

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