'Quota system robs country of merit': JU teachers express solidarity with anti-quota protest

The quota system is depleting the country of merit, said Golam Rabbani, a professor at Jahangirnagar University (JU) today (14 July).

"When meritorious individuals are not given opportunities, their talents go unrecognised and unutilised, ultimately destroying merit," explained the professor of History during the JU student protest. 

JU students staged a protest march and solidarity rally condemning the attacks and lawsuits filed against students at universities in Rajshahi, Chattogram, Cumilla and Dhaka last Thursday (11 July).

They called for the perpetrators involved in the attacks to be identified and brought to justice.

The students started their protest march in front of the university library at 11:40am. 

It ended at the university's main gate, adjacent to the Dhaka-Aricha highway, with a brief rally.

Professors Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan from the Department of Philosophy, Golam Rabbani from the Department of History, and Sohel Ahmed from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology spoke at the rally to support the students' movement.

"This student movement is not merely about employment, but about saving the nation. The government is promoting the Fourth Industrial Revolution and a Smart Bangladesh on one hand, while failing to provide opportunities for the talented on the other," said Golam Rabbani. 

"A Smart Bangladesh cannot be built without talented individuals," he added.

Describing the students' movement as justifiable, Sohel Ahmed said, "We [teachers and students] expect that the government's executive branch will resolve this fairly.

"What the students are doing is definitely for the benefit of all. To sustain the education system, it is crucial to prioritise the talented," he added.

"The students do not want the quota system abolished; instead, they seek reasonable reforms that would allow both talented individuals and disadvantaged groups to contribute equally to the nation," Sohel said. 

During his speech, Professor Kamrul Ahsan termed the reinstatement of the 2018 circular by the Appellate Division as a 'deceptive trick'.

"The students demand quota reform. However, reinstating the 2018 circular instead of addressing this demand has only exacerbated the problem without solving it, primarily due to the government's resentment and anger during the 2018 quota reform movement," he observed. 

Kamrul said, "The judiciary is being used for ulterior motives. Quota reform is not the job of the judiciary. If reforms are to be made, the government must pass laws. The judiciary will interpret the law if someone suffers discrimination after such laws are enacted.

"Understanding this basic issue does not require rocket science. 60,000 fake freedom fighters are currently benefiting from the quota system illegally, and there are attempts to continue providing these opportunities by coercively using the judiciary," he added. 

In his concluding remarks, Abdur Rashid Jitu, a coordinator of the JU quota reform movement, said, "We do not want the quota system abolished but reformed so that everyone has opportunities in government jobs.

"We condemn the police force for attacking this just movement. We demand the identification and punishment of those involved in the attacks. We also demand the immediate withdrawal of cases filed against protestors at the Shahbagh Police Station," he added.

"We want to make it clear to the administration that you cannot suppress our movement through lawsuits and attacks," Jitu further said.