“Looking For the Justice” Students Rally Against Quota Policies, Universities Respond with Closures

Lock On the Education: Nationwide Protests Force University Closures Over Quota System

In response to widespread nationwide protests by students at dozens of institutions demanding changes to the jobs quota system for coveted public sector roles, Bangladesh this week declared the closure of all public and private universities for an indeterminate length of time. The protests that started on July 1st turned violent, resulting in hundreds of injuries and 32 fatalities at least 25 on 18 July, with seven deaths earlier in the week. In an attempt to maintain control, the government deployed the paramilitary unit Border Guard Bangladesh on 15 July afternoon in the nation's capital, Dhaka, as well as in Chattogram (Chittagong), Bogura, Rangpur, Rajshahi, and Gazipur.

Following the clashes, the government also cancelled the Higher Secondary Certificate exams, one of the largest public exams taken in the senior year of high school, which were scheduled for 18 July, according to Education Ministry Spokesperson MA Khair, who spoke to University World News. Additionally, secondary schools and colleges were closed indefinitely. There are over 4.4 million students enrolled in higher education, comprising 55 public and 114 private universities, and about 20 million students attending roughly 30,000 schools and colleges. The University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh announced on 15 July night that schools of higher learning, medical colleges, and other establishments will be shuttered indefinitely.

Professor Muhammad Alamgir, the acting chair of the UGC, told University World News that the regulatory bodies took action to protect students' safety as well as by the government's decision. One of the organisers of the anti-discrimination student movement, Dhaka University student Sargis Alam, claimed that the decision to leave the dorms was made in an attempt to slow down the campaign. "Students will not leave the streets until their demands are met by the government. Students are fighting for reasonable demands,” he told University World News. However, Hasan Mahmud, the foreign minister, stated that an attempt is being made to use the emotions of young students to turn the anti-quota movement into an anti-state one. The administration will not permit the emergence of an unstable circumstance. Since July 1st, job seekers and students from public universities have taken to the streets, blocking important thoroughfares, highways, and train tracks around the nation. They are demanding the passage of legislation that would change the employment quota system while preserving a 5% quota for people with special needs and members of underprivileged communities.

Before 2018, regulations reserved about 56% of government employment or hundreds of thousands of safe and frequently well-paying positions. Thirty per cent were for the children and ancestors of those who fought in 1971 to liberate Bangladesh from Pakistan; ten per cent were for women; ten per cent were for people living in disadvantaged areas; five per cent were for those who belonged to Indigenous communities; and one per cent was for people with disabilities. In 1996, the administration expanded the quota to include children of liberation fighters as the number of people claiming positions as quota holders began to decline. It was extended further in 2009 to include liberation warriors' grandchildren. After widespread protests against quota reform, a 2018 government circular eliminated the quota system for first- and second-class positions.

The High Court declared the 2018 circular unlawful on June 5th, thereby reintroducing the quota system, which sparked the present protests. After the government filed an appeal, the Supreme Court postponed the High Court's order for one month on July 10. Public Administration Minister Farhad Hossain referred to the requests made by students for a reform of the quota system, saying, “If the matter was solely in the hands of the government, we could have considered their demand.” He continued, "Since the matter is currently pending before the court, actions must be taken by the court's orders, and we are waiting for that." An additional hearing before the Supreme Court is planned for early August. Students demonstrating on 17 July were advised by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to maintain confidence in the nation's legal system. "I think justice will be served to our students. "They won't be let down," she declared during a national broadcast speech.

Regardless of their political background, Hasina emphasised that those responsible for killings and devastation would be held accountable and pledged a legal investigation into every killing. The protests got underway amicably. Along with skipping courses and tests, students also delivered a message to President Mohammed Shahabuddin and headed into the president's official residence, the Bangabhaban, despite police resistance. But on the evening of July 14, things became heated. One of the organisers of the quota reforms protests, Hasnat Abdullah, referred to the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student branch of the ruling Awami League party, as the organisation behind "state-sponsored attacks" that were launched against the demonstrators nationwide. The Awami League party was founded by freedom fighter Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is the father of current prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Thousands of students at the universities in Dhaka, Jahangirnagar, Rajshahi, and Chittagong abandoned their dorms in protest at what they saw to be the prime minister's "disparaging comment" on July 14 about quotas in government positions. Why do they have so much resentment towards the freedom fighters?" Hasina had questioned. In response to a query from a journalist, she stated, "If the grandchildren of the freedom fighters don't get quota benefits, should the grandchildren of Razakars get the benefit?" She was using a pejorative name for people who helped Pakistan during the 1971 War of Independence. Cheyechilam odikhar hoye gelam Razakar!, which translates to "We want rights, but we are labelled Razakars," was chanted by students.

On the campus of Dhaka University, attacks by BCL groups led to violent altercations that lasted for around five hours. At different locations on campus, hundreds of students from the pro-ruling party joined forces with outsiders and beat up the protesters while brandishing sticks, iron rods, and helmets. In an email on July 15, a member of the Non-Quota Movement of Bangladesh—which is mostly headed by college students said that over 400 Dhaka University students had suffered injuries as a result of the "unwarranted brutality" that met their nonviolent protests. During anti-quota protests, BCL groups also attacked students at least four universities: Jagannath University, Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University, and Chittagong University. Students from private universities, colleges, and, in certain cases, higher secondary schools joined the protests on 16 July, as the BCL's savage clubbing of protestors on Monday infuriated them and caused them to escalate.

On July 16 and 17, students from several private universities, including Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, United International University, North South University, Independent University Bangladesh, and American International University  Bangladesh, participated in the street protests and blocked a number of the city's roads. Three persons were killed in Chattogram, two in Dhaka, and one in Rangpur on Tuesday during altercations between BCL gangs and police and protestors. Conflicts were reported by the media in several places, including Barisal, Kishoreganj, Faridpur, Narsingdi, Sirajganj, Bogura, Jhenidah, Cox's Bazar, and Rajshahi. A demonstrator from DU named Mahfujur Rahman told University World News that the quota system was unfair and that deserving students were frequently denied government employment. Although he accepted that the state and government owed the liberation warriors nothing, he pointed out that their offspring and descendants were still entitled to a thirty per cent share. "There are roughly 200,000 freedom fighters; even if we estimate that 10 individuals make up a family, that still leaves two million out of 170 million with a 30% quota. However, a 6% quota is allocated to the entire population of Indigenous communities and those with impairments. Is it not prejudiced? stated Rahman. An executive decree established the quota system for the first time in 1972.

There was a need to periodically assess the quota system. Firoz Mia, a former assistant secretary in the Ministry of Public Administration who retired, told University World News that "this is not happening in Bangladesh." It is not suitable for a certain group to have an unusual quota. However, since the constitution supports the quota system, there is no room for eliminating all forms of quotas in the public sector, according to Mia, a public administration book author. Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, denounced the assaults on demonstrators against the quota reform and asked the government of Bangladesh to promptly guarantee the demonstrators' safety. In addition, the UN conveyed its grave concern and asked Bangladesh to guarantee the security of students taking part in the quota reform movement.

Editor’s Note: 
 

The university closures in the face of growing anti-quota protests highlight the sharp disagreements and passionate discussions around affirmative action in education. The decision to temporarily shut down campuses is a reflection of the seriousness of the situation as well as the demand for amicable communication to resolve complaints and come up with fair solutions.

Skoobuzz urges all parties involved to have civil conversations and look for areas of agreement to keep educational institutions as places that value academic performance, meritocracy, and diversity.