PM's announcement catches demonstrators off guard; students to decide today
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday announced scrapping of the quota system in public service recruitments, and asked students to return to classes ending demonstrations over the demand for quota reforms.
"The quota system stands scrapped to stop repeated sufferings [of people] and avoid hassles of tackling movement time and again. This is clear," she said in parliament in response to a supplementary question.
"For the last several days, classes and studies have been suspended at all universities. There was an attack on the residence of the VC [of Dhaka University]. There is traffic jam on roads... people are suffering. Why will general people suffer repeatedly?
“If we go for reforms [of the quota system], another group will come up after a few days and say 'we want further reforms'. This issue will keep coming if the quota system remains. But if it ceases to exist, there will be no problem. So, there's no need for having the quota system."
The PM, however, said a different arrangement will be made so that members of ethnic minorities and physically-challenged people can get government jobs. "They will also be able to join."
“The students have protested enough, and we now want them to return to their classes," the PM noted.
Her statement comes amid countrywide demonstrations of students of public and private universities for reforms of the quota system. The protesters blocked key points in the capital and also roads and highways elsewhere over the last four days.
Soon after the PM's announcement, the agitating students called off their protests for yesterday, and said they will come up with a decision on their movement today after examining various aspects of her speech.
Rashed Khan, joint convener of the protesters' platform Bangladesh General Students' Rights Protection Forum, said they will hold discussions among themselves to decide on the next course of action.
Earlier around noon, the leaders of the platform told reporters that they expected the PM to speak on the quota issue.
"We don't want abolition of the quota system. We want reform as there is a need for it," Rashed said.
The quota system was introduced through an executive order in 1972 and was amended several times. Currently, 44 percent are recruited on merit and 56 percent under various quotas.
Of the 56 percent, 30 percent is kept for freedom fighters' children and grandchildren, 10 percent for women, 10 percent for people of districts lagging behind, 5 percent for members of indigenous communities, and one percent for physically-challenged people.
Since 1972, several public service reform committees and the Public Service Commission, the body that oversees government recruitment, objected to the policy.
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