BSS-14 Quota reform body nearly finalized recommendations: cab secretary

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ZCZC

BSS-14

CABINET-QUOTA

Quota reform body nearly finalized recommendations: cab secretary

DHAKA, Aug 13, 2018 (BSS) – The high-powered government committee to
revise the existing quota system for government jobs has nearly wrapped up
their report suggesting near abolition of the provision to facilitate further
merit-based recruitments in public services, officials said today.

“Our decision is to opt for merit as much as possible by scrapping the
quota system . . . time has come to go for open competitions,” Cabinet
Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told reporters at Bangladesh Secretariat here
this afternoon.

The Public Administration Ministry formed the seven-member committee
headed by the cabinet secretary on July 2 to review, reform, or revoke the
existing quota system in government jobs.

Asked if the committee would further consider extension of its tenure, Alam
replied in the negative saying they nearly finalized its recommendations after a
month long exercise while its term was extended once previously.

The top bureaucrat’s comments came at a media briefing following the
weekly cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Alam said the committee recommended near abolition of quota system in
recruitment in public services but he simultaneously referred to a Supreme
Court verdict/observation on preserving quota for the freedom fighters.

According to the verdict/ observation, he said, the posts for the freedom
fighters will have to be kept vacant if the candidates are not available.

Alam said the government will seek opinion from the court, and if the
court waves the quota for the FFs, then it will no more exist.

“If the court gives verdict that this part (quota for the FFs) will have
to be preserved, then keeping this part other quota will be made open,” he
said.

The cabinet secretary said: “Any instruction/observation of the court has
become a binding for us. We can never ignore it … the court
instruction/observation is like a binding.”

BSS/SH/AR/SHAH 1545 hrs