Special Correspondent :
The review committee has recommended abolition of all quotas in recruitment to civil service for the 9th to 13th Grades (class-I and class-II job categories), said Cabinet Secretary M Shafiul Alam.
“Committee recommends recruitment to these grades on meritorious basis,” the Cabinet Secretary who led the committee told reporters at the Secretariat after the Cabinet meeting on Monday.
Shafiul Alam said, the Grade-9 is the entry level position and defined as class I jobs, from which civil servants moves upward up to Grade-I by promotion and seniority. Grades from 10th to 13th are class-11 service as per the Pay Scale.
According to Bangladesh civil service rules, Grades from 14th to 20th are defined as class III and IV categories and quotas will remain functional in recruitment under these grades as per the government’s policy.
With regard to quotas for disables and ethnic minorities and other backward communities, the Cabinet Secretary said, “We have examined it. Quota doesn’t matter for them now”.
In reply to a question over the Freedom Fighter’s quota, he said, “We’ve talked to legal experts. Since this is a policy decision of the government, there will be no problem to keep it continuing.”
“Review committee suggests abolition of almost all quotas. The committee report has been handed over to the Prime Minister today (Monday),” M Shafiul Alam told reporters.
He noted that the assignment of the committee was not included use of quotas in recruitment under class- III and class- IV jobs (Grades 14th to 20th).
The government on July 2 formulated a seven-member review committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary to review, restructure and/or cancel the quota systems in the wake of mass protest across the country against quotas in public services in the last few months.
Hundreds of students graduated or studying graduation and undergraduates in different public and private universities have staged a series of demonstration in the city and elsewhere in the country demanding cancellation of quotas in government jobs.
In recruitment for all the public services, 56 percent jobs were preserved under various quotas while the remaining 45 percent keep on merit basis for years that prompted unemployed graduates and undergraduate students to stage protest seeking more scope in public services.
The protest took worst form impacting the daily life, trade and commerce in the city and the government had to act hard to suppress the movement.
At one stage, the Prime Minister made commitment in the Parliament on April 11 to scrap the quotas aiming to contain the ongoing movement.
Shafiul Alam said the fresh recommendations have the necessity to approve by the Prime Minister.
“After the approval, it will be placed to the Cabinet meeting – hopefully in the first week of next month. And then, the gazette will be issued in this regard,” he said.
In the existing recruitment system, Freedom Fighters and their heirs enjoys 30 percent quota, 10 percent district quota, 10 percent women quota, 5 percent for tribal people (ethnic minorities) and another 1 percent for the disables.
Other members of the review committee were Legislative and Parliament Affairs Secretary Md. Shahidul Haque, Public Administration Division Secretary Foyez Ahmed, Finance Division Secretary Md Muslim Chowdhury, Public Service Commission Secretary Aktari Mamtaz and Acting Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office Sajjadul Hasan.
