Govt ‘cautiously observing’ both quota and Prottoy scheme movements, says Quader

‘Our position is clear as the government decided to remove quotas in 2018 and the state activities have been conducted so far per the decision,’ Quader says

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader says the government is ‘observing’ both the protests by students and job seekers against quotas in government jobs and the teachers’ ongoing movement to repeal the Prottoy pension scheme.

“Everything will be solved on time. We [the government] are keeping an eye on the two programmes with caution,” the road transport minister said during a joint meeting at the ruling party’s central office in Dhaka’s Bangabandhu Avenue on Tuesday.

Asked about Awami League’s stance concerning the two movements, Quader said the Awami League is standing by the government’s decisions.

“As far as I know, the students protesting against the quota system have no scheduled programme today, I extend my thanks to them for that. I also heard that they had appointed a lawyer to represent them during the hearing of the case at the top court and they will appear before the court on time. This is a logical decision.”

The students and job-seekers resumed protests after the High Court declared the 2018 notice repealing the freedom fighter quota system for recruitment to first and second-class government jobs was illegal.

The protesters have a list of four demands.

The first is the abolition of the quota system in government jobs - which was announced in 2018 after intense protests - and the retention of merit-based recruitment circulars.

The second demand is the swift formation of a commission to eliminate “unreasonable and discriminatory” quotas in all grades of government jobs, ensuring that only marginalised groups are considered for quotas as per the Constitution.

The third demand says the quota facility cannot be used more than once in government job recruitment exams, and any vacant positions previously reserved under a quota should be filled based on merit.

The fourth seeks effective measures to ensure a corruption-free, impartial, and merit-based bureaucracy.

The protesters blocked different busy intersections in Dhaka on Sunday and Monday as part of their ‘Bangla Blockade’ programme, causing severe gridlocks across the city that led to huge suffering for residents.

The protesters also formed a 65-strong committee to synchronise the movement under the banner of the 'Anti-Discrimination Student Movement'. The committee warned of a nationwide blockade programme if their demands are not met.

Stating the government’s stance on the quotas, Quader said, “Our position on the matter is clear as the government took a step to repeal the quota system by issuing a notice in 2018 and the state activities have been conducted so far per the decision. Meanwhile, seven people, including the son of a freedom fighter, filed a case challenging the decision. The High Court issued a judgement against which the state appealed to the Appellate Division as per the rules. We expect a full court hearing on the case soon."

Stating that the movement is promoting reforms but is not against quotas themselves, he said, “Various media has been labelling it as an anti-quota movement but those who are protesting said they want quota system reforms.”

Meanwhile, the finance ministry launched the Prottoy scheme along with four other schemes of the universal pension system in March. The country’s public university teachers have been protesting their inclusion in the scheme, calling it ‘discriminatory’.

They claimed that the teachers who joined the service on and after Jul 1, 2024, will face a financial loss if they are enrolled into the scheme.

The public university teachers across the country have been on a full work stoppage since Jul 1, demanding the scrapping of the Prottoy scheme.

When asked about a potential date for Quader’s meeting with the protesting teachers’ leaders, the road transport minister said: “Did we announce a formal meeting? We might be facing some issues too. We are not disrespecting them. We are monitoring their movement. I hope the issue will be resolved promptly.”