Quota reformists demand immediate publication of gazette

Quota reformists under the banner of the Bangladesh General Students' Rights Protection Council (BGSRPC) formed a human chain at Shahbagh on Tuesday afternoon. 

The protesters demanded the reformation of the quota system in line with their five point demands, and the immediate publication of a gazette notification in this regard. The human chain was hosted by Joint Convener Nurul Haque Nur.

Meanwhile, Muktijoddha Sontan Command, an organization of the children of freedom fighters, put forward six-point demands at a rally from the DU TSC, with calls to retain the 30% quota for them in government jobs.

The Adibasi Quota Songrokkhon Parishad will also hold a blockade at the Secretariat office at around 10:30am on Wednesday morning, with calls to retain the 5% quota for them in government jobs.

The demands came ahead of Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, where the Quota Review Committee’s recommendation to scrap the quota for class-I and class-II jobs will be discussed.

While addressing the BGSRPC human chain, Convener of BGSRPC Hasan Al Mamun said: “We want immediate publication of a gazette notification for reforming the quota system, in line with our earlier five point demands. We do not want the full abolition of quotas.”

Joint Convener of the platform Faruk Hasan said: “We have been protesting against discrimination at all stages of the quota system, not for just class-I and II jobs.”

“We demand the unconditional release of our fellow protesters, and the immediate withdrawal of false cases against us as well as Shahidul Alam and Maidul Islam,” he added.

DU Economics department Assistant Professor Rushad Faridi said: “Students staged demonstrations demanding reformation of quota, not its abolition. Teachers who supported the protest and stood against repression were arrested.” 

The five-point demands of the quota reformists are: Reduction of the quota in government job from 56% to 10%, filling in vacant positions from the merit list if eligible candidates are not found from the quota, abolition of special examination for quotas, a uniform age-limit for the government recruitment process, and the stopping of the use of quota facilities on multiple occasions.

After the rally to from Shahbagh to TSC, a five-member delegation from the Muktijoddha Sontan Command DU unit went to the Prime Minister's Office and submitted their demands.

On September 17, a government committee led by Cabinet Secretary Md Shafiul Alam recommended the abolition of the quota system for first and second class government jobs.

Currently, 30% of government jobs are given to the offspring of freedom fighters, 10% are allocated on the basis of the district quota, 10% are reserved for women, 5% for ethnic communities, and 1% for people with disabilities.