The Bangladesh government has responded to the violent protest of the youth on lack of job opportunities for them due to the high quota for government jobs for the grandchildren of freedom fighters. This violent protest by the students led to the killing of many innocent people and disturbed the peace of the state. As a result the government of Hasina took some measures for restoring peace by introducing a ban on public meetings in order to stop the deadly protest. Now the government has taken the first step as Bangladesh SC slashes job quotas from 56% to 7% for freedom fighters children.
Background of Protests
Last month, protests began because the High Court brought back a quota system for government jobs. This changed a 2018 decision by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government to get rid of the quota. The quota was for 30 percent of jobs reserved for families of those who fought in the 1971 war for independence. This move came after similar student protests before.
The Supreme Court then paused the High Court’s decision after the government appealed. They set a date of August 7 to hear the government’s challenge. But students increased their protests when Hasina did not agree to their demands. She said she could not because of the ongoing court case.
What Is The Quota System?
Bangladesh started using a quota system in 1972. It has changed many times since then. In 2018, the government stopped using it. Before that, 56 percent of government jobs were reserved for different groups.
Most of these jobs were for families of freedom fighters. Women and people from poor districts each got 10 percent. Indigenous communities got 5 percent. Disabled people got 1 percent. The students protesting want to keep only the last two categories.
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Actions Taken by the Hasina Government
More than 130 people have died in the violent protests. Colleges and universities are closed. Internet services are mostly off because of the protests. The protests began after the High Court on June 5 brought back the 30 percent quota that ended in 2018. The High Court said the rule to stop the reservation for freedom fighters’ descendants in top jobs was not legal.
Students protested strongly because only 44 percent of jobs were now open to everyone. The Bangladesh government then asked the Supreme Court to look at the High Court’s decision. The Supreme Court has now removed most of the quotas, keeping only 7 percent. Therefore after the violent protest the Bangladesh SC Slashes Job Quotas From 56% to 7%.
On Sunday, the Supreme Court agreed with the government. They said the High Court’s decision was not legal, according to Attorney General AM Amin Uddin. Now, 5 percent of jobs will be for children of independence war veterans and 2 percent for other groups. This means 93 percent of government jobs will be based on merit, not quotas. Before the High Court’s decision, 56 percent of jobs were reserved. This included 1 percent for disabled people, 5 percent for indigenous communities, 10 percent for women, 10 percent for people from poor districts, and 30 percent for freedom fighters’ families.
The Supreme Court cut the 30 percent quota for freedom fighters’ families to 5 percent and the 26 percent in other groups to just 2 percent. After this decision, the top court asked student protesters to go back to their classes.
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