Panel to review global practices about quota system for government jobs

The committee formed to review the quota system for government jobs has decided to collect information on the quota system from various sources worldwide in addition to setting a work process during its first meeting.

The one-and-a-half-hour meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Mohammed Shafiul Alam was held on Sunday. 

The committee will try to submit the report by the 15-day deadline, Abul Kashem Md Mohiuddin, additional secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, told reporters.

It will collect info on the quota system for next seven days, he added.

Committee members, including secretaries of the Public Administration Ministry, Liberation War Affairs Ministry, Prime Minister's Office, Public Service Commission, the Finance Division and Legislative and Parliament Affairs Division, were present in the meeting.

The government appointed the cabinet secretary to lead the seven-member panel on Jul 2 in an effort to stave off further protests from quota protesters.

The committee has been instructed to submit its recommendation to the government with necessary and logical directives to reform or abolish the quota system by Jul 23.

“We have decided to collect information on the quota system at home and abroad as early as possible,” said Kashem.

The committee will meet again, once all the information has been collected.

“Reports published in newspapers, PSC reports, commission reports by former cabinet secretaries or their personal reports—we’ll gather all of them as soon as possible. The date for our next meeting depends on this.”

The next meeting will decide if a ‘panel of experts’ will be formed to review the quota system, Kashem said.

“The protesters have not agreed on a singular demand. They are asking for different things in different times. Some of them are totally ignorant of the authentic information but continue their protests,” Kashem said when asked if the committee will speak to the protesters on the reform issue.

“The committee will make its decision after taking into account the available information and the reality of the situation as the prime minister has asked for a well-thought-out opinion on the matter.”

Currently, 56 percent of public sector jobs are reserved under the quota system. The system allocates 30 percent for the children of Liberation War fighters, 10 percent for women, 10 percent for backward districts, 5 percent for minority ethnic groups and 1 percent for the disabled.

Students and job seekers launched protests several months ago, urging the government to reduce the quota to 10 percent.

On Apr 11, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in parliament that the system would be abolished altogether.

She also announced the formation of the review committee headed by the cabinet secretary.

The protesters welcomed the prime minister’s announcement and halted their protests for some time awaiting a gazette notification. 

However, top officials were unable to provide answers regarding when the committee would be formed.

Quota reform supporters resumed their protests amid the delay and were attacked several times by the Bangladesh Chhatra League. One of their leaders Rashed Khan was also arrested in connection with an ICT case.

The gazette notification to form the committee was published on Jul 2.