Students protest at RU, demand abolition of 'descendants quota'

A group of students at Rajshahi University (RU) staged an overnight sit-in at Zoha Square, demanding the abolition of the "descendants quota" in the undergraduate admissions process. 

The protest began at 6:30pm on Thursday and ended today (15 November) afternoon following assurances from the university administration.  

Three students had initiated a hunger strike that later garnered the support of students from various departments. They argued that university faculty and staff are not an underprivileged group and questioned why their children should benefit from any quota system. 

"The administration keeps justifying this quota, but we will continue our movement until our rightful demands are met. This is an issue of fairness. Even if the descendants' quota is reduced to 1%, our movement will continue," said Mehedi Hasan Maruf, a student leader and one of the three who went on the hunger strike.  

RUCSU Andolon Mancho, a student-led platform for university reform, echoed these sentiments. 

"This [Rajshahi University] is where the descendants' quota was first implemented. We want to abolish it here and free the institution from this taint. Today, we demand its immediate repeal," said Amanullah Aman, member secretary of the platform.  

On Friday morning, RU Vice Chancellor Prof Saleh Hasan Naqib, Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Farid Uddin Khan, and Proctor Prof Mahbubur Rahman met the protesters, urging them to withdraw their demonstration and join discussions.  

Talking to reporters, Prof Mahbubur said, "The admission committee, which includes around 90 members from various departments and the administration, makes these decisions collectively. We are open to discussing the quota's rationale, and we agree with the students' demands; this is what we are working towards." 

Following assurances from the VC and Pro-VC to form a committee to review the issue, the students ended their protest.  

The university recently reduced the descendants' quota from 4% to 3% in this year's admission notice, sparking discontent among students who took to social media before launching their protest.  

In a related demonstration, four student organisations — the Progressive Student Alliance, Socialist Students' Front, Student Union, and Chhatra Gonomoncho — staged a sit-in outside the Syed Nazrul Islam Administrative Building at RU.  

Their demands included the complete abolition of the descendants' quota in admissions and faculty recruitment, as well as an end to arbitrary application fees and the selection process in admissions.  

RU VC Prof Saleh Hasan said, "I have never supported the descendants' quota. This 47-year-old practice involves over 2,000 university staff, and we attempted to reform this year. Their [students'] demands are valid, and we will review the issue thoroughly."