The quota system once again entered the public discussion on June 5, when the High Court nullified the government's 2018 notification that abolished all quotas in first- and second-class government jobs.
The government had abolished all quotas in government jobs for first and second-class positions for a solid five years. Starting from October 2018 until May of the following year, all recruitment was conducted without any quotas.
As a result of the cancellation of the 2018 notice, the quota for freedom fighters in first and second-class positions (National Salary Grades 9 to 13) was reinstated to 30%.
Quota system in the Pakistan period
Following the partition of 1947, the newly established Pakistan introduced the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP) along with other central and provincial services.
After partition, in 1947, quota provisions for public service recruitment were established through an executive order, which were later solidified under the 1956 constitution.
One of the earliest quota provisions during this period was for the Central Superior Services (CSS), responsible for recruiting into key positions such as tax and customs, railways, and foreign service roles. Initially, only 20% of these positions were allocated based on merit, while the remaining 80 % were reserved for candidates from various provinces of Pakistan.
The youth are screaming. Will the government listen?East Pakistan, being the largest and most populous province, was allocated a 40% quota. Punjab and Bhawalpur were allotted 23%, Sind, Khairpur, and North‐West Provinces 2%, and Frontier, Tribal Areas, Baluchistan, Azad Kashmir and Kashmir Refugees 15%.
Quota system in Bangladesh
The quota system itself was introduced in 1972 by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in a country ravaged by war, as a recognition of its freedom fighters.
The following year, a movement began demanding the cancellation of this system, and it has continued on and off ever since.
Various governments have reformed, modified, and changed the quota system at different times instead of permanently abolishing it.
2018 quota reform
As of 2018, there was a 56% quota in government jobs in the country.
Of this, 30% of seats were reserved for descendants of freedom fighters, 10% for women, 10% for residents of backward districts, 5% for people from minority groups, and 1% for people with disabilities.
That year, massive protests were held at various educational institutions across the country demanding quota reforms.
The agitating students demanded that the quota system be reformed and reduced from 56% to 10%.
The government, in the wake of the student movement, eliminated all forms of quotas to ensure the recruitment of meritorious and qualified individuals for positions in grades 9 to 13 (formerly known as first and second-class jobs) in government employment.
However, quotas for third and fourth-class posts (grades 14 to 20) remained in effect.
If no candidate from the relevant quota is found, those positions are filled from the merit list of general candidates -- a decision taken by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on October 3, 2018.
The next day, the government issued a circular abolishing all the quotas in public service in response to the protests by public university students and job seekers.
What is in the constitution
Article 29 (1) of Part III of the Constitution of Bangladesh states that there shall be equality of opportunity for all citizens in the employment or promotion of public works.
Clause (a) of Article 29 (3) says: “Nothing in this article shall prevent the state from making special provision in favour of any backward section of citizens for the purpose of securing their adequate representation in the service of the republic.”
