How reforming, instead of abolishing, the quota system could solve multiple problems

The quota system caused widespread protests across the country in 2018. Consequently, the government abolished it. But now it is about to be reinstated after six years.

During the past five years, there were no quotas in government jobs. On 5 June, the High Court resolved a writ petition and revoked the circular issued by the government in 2018 that had abolished the quotas in government jobs. Protests broke out immediately.

If reinstated, the quota system would definitely bring back all of its associated problems and challenges. For example, due to the quota system, many positions in government jobs remained vacant as the Public Service Commission (PSC) struggled to find enough candidates with quotas as well as minimum qualification, i.e pass marks in the series of tests taken during the BCS examination. Once again, university students across the country are on streets to protest it.

Quota system and the job market

After the 36th BCS results came out, Public Service Commission (PSC) officials shared that due to the lack of qualified candidates in the professional and vocational cadres, approximately 1,638 positions would remain vacant. Among these, 491 positions were reserved for freedom fighters' quota, 164 for women's quota, and 82 for ethnic minorities quota. This is just one example, and this happened every year before the quota system was abolished.

The problem was that merit-based candidates could not fill those positions. In 2010, a provision was made to reserve positions for freedom fighters' quota in the BCS examinations even if suitable candidates were not found. The Ministry of Public Administration at that time stated that in government, semi-governmental agencies, autonomous and semi-autonomous organisations, and corporations, direct recruitment must adhere to quotas for freedom fighters. If suitable candidates under the freedom fighter quota cannot be found for government positions, those positions cannot be filled under the general quota. 

Protestors at Shahbagh intersection demanding reinstatement of the 2018 circular that cancelled quotas in recruitment in government jobs. Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

It caused a new problem– due to a lack of manpower, people in the country were deprived of government services. However, it was relaxed later in 2018 and vacant quota positions were filled based on merit.

"More than half of the job positions (56%) are reserved for quota holders. The practice of granting quotas to the descendants of freedom fighters cannot continue indefinitely. This constitutes discrimination against meritorious candidates," Dr Manzoor Ahmed, Professor Emeritus at BRAC University, told The Business Standard.

"Additionally, many positions remain vacant due to the quota system, which is a cause for concern. As a result, the activities of the public administration are disrupted. This not only imposes an injustice on job seekers but also affects the general public," the professor added.

Experts argue that individuals who have already benefited from quota privileges should not be eligible for them again, nor should their descendants. This is based on the reasoning that those who have already benefited from the system should have already established their families and children.

What led to the paradox?

The process of quota reformation has been continuing since the very birth of Bangladesh. The system was first introduced in 1972 as a gift for the freedom fighters. At that time, only 20% of government employee recruitment was reserved for merit-based quotas. Additionally, there was a 40% district quota, a 30% quota for freedom fighters, and a 10% quota for wounded women.

Just a year later, calls for reforming the quota system for government jobs began to emerge. Since then, various public service reform committees and the Public Service Commission itself, responsible for overseeing government recruitment, consistently raised objections to the policy.

Protests and demands took place throughout the following decades. Finally, the quota system in government jobs was abolished in the face of a students' movement in 2018.

Former PSC chairman Sadat Hossain had initiated a reform move, and also former cabinet secretary Akbar Ali Khan and former chief election commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed carried out a study in March 2008. They found out the existence of 257 types of quotas for all government jobs and recommended a reduction in the quota to 20 percent.

"The quota is a special provision for under-privileged populations, and it's an exception. It can't be more than the merit provision," Late Sadat Hossain said back  in 2018.

The demand was always about quota 'reformation', not abolishment. But this is exactly what happened in 2018.

Reforming the system to allocate a lower quota for the disadvantaged and the descendants of freedom fighters could have satisfied all the stakeholders.

Experts argue that the renewed movement is a consequence of the government's failure to engage in comprehensive policy analysis and stakeholder consultation before abolishing the quota system altogether in 2018.

"The reemergence of this movement after a solution is unexpected. The instability in the country suggests a political failure. Since the government abolished the quota system in 2018, they should maintain their current stance," said Dr Manzoor Ahmed.