# Quota system of Bangladesh Civil Service

The quota system of Bangladesh Civil Service requires the Civil Service offer a certain number of jobs to members of certain groups, such as descendants of freedom fighters from the Bangladesh Liberation War, religious and ethnic minorities, underrepresented districts, and disabled groups. All candidates must pass all preliminary examinations, and the quota is considered in the final oral interview stage. Government jobs provide better pay and benefits than private sector jobs in Bangladesh, which creates demand for government jobs. Students in Bangladesh protested in 2013, 2018, and 2024 against the quota system and have argued that talented candidates were not being recruited due to the quota.
The system was abolished in 2018 but was reinstated by a High Court verdict in 2024. The verdict was stayed by the Appellate Division while the government of Bangladesh took action to squash the High Court order restoring the quota system. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh on 21 July reduced the quota, increasing the recruitment percentage for government jobs to 93%.
The quota system serves as an affirmative action plan for marginalized groups, as well as for descendants (including grandchildren in 2010) of former soldiers. From the 35th to 40th Bangladesh Civil Service exams, not enough candidates were found for recruitment under the system: merit-based jobs were only 44 percent of job openings, but most students (around 65 percent) were recruited based on merit.

## History

Bangladesh Civil Service traces its origins to the Civil Service of Pakistan which was based on the Indian Civil Service of the British Raj. After the independence of Bangladesh, the Awami League government under president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established a quota for the Bangladesh Civil Service through an order of the Ministry of Cabinet Services. Professor Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury, vice-chancellor of the University of Dhaka, opposed the move and called for merit-based recruitment. The government gave a 30 percent quota to veterans of the Bangladesh Liberation War, referred to as freedom fighters, 10 percent to women who were raped during the war, and 40 percent reserved to residents of underrepresented districts. This left 20 percent of the jobs for merit-based candidates.
Rahman was assassinated in 1975, and BAKSAL was removed from power. In 1976, the government of Bangladesh reduced the quota for people from underrepresented districts to 20 percent which increased jobs for merit-based candidates to 40 percent. As the jobs for women who were raped during the war were unclaimed, the quota was changed to include all women in 1985. The district-based quota was reduced to 10 percent. The government created a new five percent quota for indigenous communities of Bangladesh. This change in 1985 increased the merit-based jobs to 45 percent.
By 1997, 26 years after the Bangladesh Liberation War, freedom fighter recruitment decreased due to age and in response, the government of Bangladesh extended the quota to children of freedom fighters.
In 2008, Akbar Ali Khan, former civil servant and freedom fighter, and Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, civil servant, provided Dr. Saadat Hossain, chairman of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission, a report on the quota system essentially describing it as a flawed system and calling for reforms. The report stated without reforms doubts would be raised on the qualification of recruits under the Bangladesh Civil Service Examination.
In 2010, the government of Bangladesh further extended the quota for freedom fighters to include their grandchildren. Bangladesh Public Service Commission added a one percent quota for disabled candidates in 2012. This decision decreased the merit-based jobs to 44 percent. Despite the 30 percent quota for children and grandchildren of freedom fighters, recruitment in that category never exceeded 10 percent.
On 8 March 2018, the Bangladesh High Court rejected a petition challenging the legality of the quota system. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stated on 21 March she intended to keep the quota for descendants of freedom fighters. Bangladeshi students protested against the quota. Hasina issued an executive order removing all quotas from the Bangladesh Civil Service. The protestors were demanding a reformation of the quota, not an abolition. On 1 July 2020, the decision to abolish quota became effective.
On 5 June 2024, the Bangladesh High Court issued a verdict that canceled the government notification, declaring it illegal, thus restoring the quota in Bangladesh Civil Service recruitment. A descendant of a freedom fighter and six others appealed the verdict in 2021 to challenge the government order canceling the quota system. The government filed an appeal with the Appellate Division, Supreme Court of Bangladesh. The students of public and private universities and colleges in Bangladesh launched the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement. The Appellate Division issued an order of status quo which halts the High Court verdict till the Appellate Division finishes its hearing on the government appeal. Pro-government Bangladesh Chhatra League and police injured four hundred protesting students. The protests took place in the backdrop of rising unemployment levels in Bangladesh. The protestors called themselves Anti-discrimination Students Movement.
On 21 July 2024, Supreme Court of Bangladesh increased recruitment to government jobs based on merit to 93%, while reducing the quota for freedom fighters and their descendants to 5%, 1% for ethnic minorities and 1% for the third gender and disabled.

## Quota

Quota System of Bangladesh Civil Service :
| Group | Quota Percentage | Year Added/Modified | Description | Reference |
| Merit-Based | 93% | 1972, 1985, 2024 | Jobs based solely on merit. | [16] [17] |
| Descendants of Freedom Fighters | 5% | 1972, 1997, 2010, 2024 | Reserved for descendants of those who fought in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. | [16] [17] |
| Ethnic Minorities | 1% | 1985, 2024 | Reserved for indigenous communities and other ethnic minorities. | [16] [17] |
| Third Gender and the physically disabled | 1% | 2024 | Reserved for third gender candidates and the physically disabled. | [16] [17] |
| Women | 0% | 1972, 1985, 2024 | Initially for women victimized in the war, later extended to all women. Removed in 2024 | [16] [17] |
| Underrepresented Districts (Zila Quota) | 0% | 1972, 1976, 1985, 2024 | Reserved for candidates from less developed districts. Removed in 2024. | [16] [17] |