Amid protests by students and job-seekers for reforms to quotas in public service, removing the existing system of posts reserved under quotas in several categories is on the cards, according to highly-placed sources in the government.
Sources at the PMO say, the prime minister has sought a probable scenario if quotas do not exist anymore.
Meanwhile, the leadership of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the ruling party’s student front, has quoted the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of a decision to rescind reserved posts in government jobs.
On Wednesday, its President Saifur Rahman Shohag told the media at the Dhaka University, “The prime minister has assured that there will be no quotas in government jobs.”
According to him, Hasina’s assurance came during a meeting with him and the general secretary at the Ganabhaban earlier in the day.
Officials in the administration said a reform to quotas in public services was imperative, but the protesters should have waited until the deadline agreed on Monday.
Following a meeting between an Awami League delegation and representatives of demonstrators, it was announced that the protest will remain halted until May 7.
Soon after, the demonstrators split with another group announcing that they would continue with protests until the prime minister’s assurance.
The BCL leadership said after Wednesday’s Ganabhban meeting that the prime minister will talk about the issue later in the day during the parliament session and urged for calling off the demonstrations.
The protesters, however, say they will only stop until the PM’s announcement comes.
Meanwhile, experts and academics find the removal of quotas, which they say helps the under-privileged population, as not a sound decision.
“Every state ha quotas and our Constitution recognizes efforts by government for the less-privileged, but it needs to be reformed to stop its abuse,” Shahriar Kabir of the Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee told Bangla Tribune.
Professor Sadeka Halim of the Dhaka University echoed.
“It would be not appropriate at all to remove quotas, it can be reformed,” said the dean of the Social Sciences faculty.