Bangladesh's job quota system riles students, brings back old wounds

Hundreds of students are up in arms against a government provision that seeks to provide reservations in government jobs for specific groups, including the descendants of the 1971 war heroes.

The protesters have deemed the provision discriminatory, while the critics say it unfairly favours those who are close to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Since the 2nd of July, students have been holding sit-ins, organising marches, and blocking key roads and highways in the capital Dhaka and other major cities, demanding the government reverse its decision.

The protests have been called the Bangla Blockade.

The Bangladesh government used to reserve 56% of government jobs for specific classes. 30% of government posts were reserved for descendants of the 1971 Bangladeshi independence war heroes, 10% for women, 10% for residents of specific districts, 5% for ethnic minorities, and 1% for people with disabilities.

But, the decades-old quota system was abolished in 2018 after a nationwide student agitation forced the Sheikh Hasina government to end the 30% quota for the children and grandchildren of freedom fighters in the civil service

That provision was reinstated again on June 5, 2024, after the Dhaka High Court, acting on a plea of the descendant of a freedom fighter and six others, re-established the quota system, provoking the students.

But, the Supreme Court on the 9th of July suspended that order for a month, after the protesting students approached the apex court.

The students contend that they are not against the quota policy, but want the government to reserve only 6% of government jobs for women and specially-abled persons. Meanwhile, they say that their agitation will continue unless the provision is completely scrapped.