QUOTA SYSTEM REFORMATION
Demonstrations at educational institutions March 14
The students of different universities and colleges have declared to stage demonstration at the educational institutions across the country on March 14 to press home their five-point demand including reformation of existing quota system in government jobs. Our DU Corrrespondent says: Hundreds of job seekers and students mostly of Dhaka University staged demonstration at Shahbagh intersection in the capital yesterday morning. Under the banner of Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad they took position on the road stretching from Shahbaghs Central Public Library to TSC of Dhaka University. The demonstrators were seen carrying placards showing their five-point demand that include introduction of unified age limit in government jobs, review of quota system in government recruitment process, including Bangladesh Civil Services (BCS) examination, filling vacant posts from merit list if the candidates from quota are not found, preventing special recruitment tests for candidates falling under the quotas and reducing the allocation of quota privileges to 10 percent from current 56 percent.
Convener of the movement Hasan Al Mamun, vice president of Bangladesh Chhatra League of Muhammad Mohsin Hall unit of DU, announced the next course of the movement when thousands of the students were demonstrating at Raju Memorial Sculpture on the campus. Huge law enforcers were deployed in the area.
Our Rajshahi Correspondent reports: Thousands of students of Rajshahi University (RU) staged a demonstration on Paris Road at around 11:00am as part of the programme announced on February 25. They also brought out a silent procession on the campus in the morning.
On February 25, thousands of students from different public universities and colleges staged sit-ins and held rallies at their institutions, demanding an end to the discrimination created by the disproportionate quotas in BCS exams and other government recruitment tests.
Masud Monnaf, mastersstudent of Islamic Studies department, presided over the programme.
Our Jahangirnagar University correspondent adds: With the slogan Bangabandhur Banglay, Quota Boishommyer Thai Nai, students observed a sit-in programme on the Central Shaheed Minar premises at 12 am. Addressing the programme, Professor of Government and Politics department Dr Nasim Akhter Hossain said, Those who are meritorious find it harder to get appropriate jobs because of the quota system. If it continues, the nation will suffer a lot.
The students demanded that the age restriction on applying for jobs be the same for every applicant.
