Students and job seekers have called off their protests against the quota system following the decision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to cancel all quotas for government jobs.
“We are calling off the protest for now,” Bangladesh Shadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad Convener Hasan Al Mamun said in a briefing in front of Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University's TSC intersection on Thursday.
They urged the government to publish a gazette scrapping the quota system as soon as possible.
Also Read- PM says no more quotas in government jobs
After three days of intense demonstrations around the country against quotas in public service, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced on Wednesday in an impassioned address to parliament that there would be no more quotas for government jobs in future.
Currently, 56% of all jobs in the public sector are reserved for quota groups, while 44% are filled from the merit list. Of the quotas, 30% are for freedom fighters and their descendants, 10% for women, 10% based on districts and 5% for national minority groups.
Students and job seekers began protesting against the quota system, demanding a reform, in mid-February. A road blockade that began at Shahbagh Sunday evening turned violent after a police crackdown, and demonstrations escalated over the last three days.
Monday, March 17, 2025
