No reforms on quotas

Indigenous people constitute only 1.1 percent of the country’s population but they enjoy 5 percent quota in the public service. Same is the case with freedom fighters’ children, who make up 13 percent of the population but 30 percent of the government jobs are reserved for them.

Shahidul Islambdnews24.com
Published : 21 June 2013, 10:31 PM
Updated : 21 June 2013, 10:37 PM

On the other hand, 1 percent of the government jobs are reserved for disabled people who form 1.4 percent of the population. Women enjoy a 10 percent quota, while another 10 percent of the jobs are reserved as district quota.

All together, 56 percent of government jobs are reserved under different quotas, leaving only 44 percent open for merit-based recruitment.

These aberrations are what the Public Service Commission (PSC) tried to address by suggesting reforms in the quota system several times.

But the government is reluctant to implement them, giving rise to frustration among general job-seekers who, on several occasions, have openly protested against the existing quotas.

Experts have also backed reforms on quotas.

According to the fifth population and housing census, the country’s total population is 152.52 million, of which 1.59 million are indigenous people and 2.02 million people are disabled.
The statistics of the Liberation War Affairs Ministry suggest that the number of the freedom fighters is around 0.2 million.
According to the census, there are 31.86 million households in the country, with a likely average of 4.78 persons in each family. The census suggests freedom fighters are there in 42,194 families.
One job-seeker, Rezwan Ahmed, who twice failed to get first-class government job, is upset.
“We’re not demanding the end of the quotas, but we want reforms. We, who are not covered by any quota, are being deprived (of our rights)," he told bdnews24.com
Another job-seeker Sohel Rana said: “This (system) is not fair.”
Former Cabinet Secretary Akbar Ali Khan favoured quota system reforms.
“Most of quotas are unconstitutional and goes against principles of natural justice,” he said.
Khan said quotes should not exceed 50 percent of government jobs and none of the quotas should continue indefinitely. "There should be a time limit on how long they can continue."
District quota for public service was introduced at a time when the country had just 17 districts. The same quota remains in force even after the number of districts have risen to 64.
Khan said fixing eligibility is a complex problem for filling up the 257 kind of quotas in public service.
Thirty percent of government jobs was reserved for freedom fighters with their entry-level age fixed at 32, two years more than that for general aspirants, immediately after the country’s independence in 1972.
“It made sense at that time to recognise their contribution. But there is no logic behind having that quota to continue for their children who were born well after the Liberation War.”
Referring to the constitutional provision for quotas for backward people, he said the government need to carefully identify backward communities carefully and decide how long the quotas for them will continue.
Public Administration Secretary Abdus Sobhan Shikder, however, told bdnews24.com: “The government has no plan to reform the existing quota system. But (reforms in) the district quota can be considered.”
“For the ongoing BCS (Bangladesh Civil Service) exams, (the PSC) has been asked to fill up the quota posts reserved for women, disabled and indigenous people by the candidates on the merit list if sufficient number of candidates are not found from the quotas,” he said.
“But it is not a permanent arrangement. It will be applicable only to this BCS,” he added.
The PSC in its annual reports for 2009 and 2011 recommended reforms, saying the present quota policy was very complicated and difficult to implement.
“Because of the complex existing quota system, it is almost impossible to select the right candidates with 100 percent accuracy. Simplification of the existing quota system is essential to select the right candidates through BCS exams.”
All but a member of 1977 Pay and Service Commission had opposed the reservations.
PSC Chairman Ahmadul Haque Chowdhury told bdnews24.com that the government has not implemented “our recommendations” on quota system reforms.
“We are not opposed to quotas as that is part of government’s policy. We are also supposed to look into grievances over the quotas. But we have advocated making them simpler and made some recommendations for that to happen,” Chowdhury said.
“But the government has shown any interest in implementing our recommendations.”
MA Zaman, who had favoured the present system, had observed that that arrangement should be in force for 10 years and then phased out. But in 1997, its coverage was expanded to include freedom fighters’ children.
Akbar Ali Khan and another former Secretary, Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, now Chief Election Commissioner, said in a study report titled ‘Quota system for civil service recruitment" that the quota system was unjust.
“Recruitment of only 45 percent candidates based on merit is unconstitutional.”
“The Constitution spoke of non-discrimination and approves quota as an exception for some cases (like for backward people). But exceptional recruitment (55 percent) can never surpass the general recruitment (45 percent).”
“Though the Constitution approves special quotas for the backward sections, it does not endorse any quota for backward regions,” Khan said.
Quoting an observation of the Indian Supreme Court, he said: “The constitutional basis of district quota is doubtful, because well-off people of the backward regions, whose condition is better than that of many people of other regions, exploit the quota privilege.”
The Khan-Ahmad study said: “There is no legal basis of quota for the freedom fighters. This quota will be logical if it is proved that the freedom fighters are backward among the citizens. The legal basis of quotas for freedom fighters’ children is weaker.”
Many believe the 30 percent quota for freedom fighters’ children is not proportionate and logical.
According to PSC annual reports, the quota for them is not being fulfilled due to lack of qualified candidates.
In the 21st, 22nd and 25 BCS exams, only 10.8 percent, 2.2 percent and 5.2 percent quota posts were filled respectively.
A total of 813 posts under different quotas remained vacant in the 28th BSC exams and 792 in the 29th exams as adequate number of qualified candidates was not found.
The 32nd special BSC exams were organised to fill up those posts. Before that, another special BCS exam was conducted in 2000 only for freedom fighters’ children.