The teachers, employees and students of Rajshahi University have locked horns over cancelling the existing ward quota for the children and grand-children of the university teachers, officials and employees for admission to undergraduate courses.
The teachers and employees are saying that they want the quota facility for their children and grandchildren as an 鈥榓dditional benefit鈥� along with their salary and other facilities while the students are saying that they will never accept such a 鈥榙iscriminatory鈥� quota facility for the university teachers and employees鈥� children and grandchildren.
Earlier on November 14, the RU admission committee decided to cancel the quota facility for freedom fighters鈥� grandchildren, but to retain the five per cent quota for their children for admission to undergraduate courses under the 2024-25 academic session.
They, however, decided to keep the three per cent ward quota for the children and grand-children of the university teachers, officials and employees.
Protesting at the university authorities鈥� decision and demanding immediate cancellation of the ward quota, a group of students started a hunger strike in front of the grave of Professor Syed Mohammad Shamsuzzoha on the same day.
The protesting students later postponed their hunger strike on the following day after the university top officials assured them of forming a committee to review the decision on retaining the ward quota for admission.
RU pro-vice-chancellor professor Mohammad Main Uddin said that the teachers, officials, and employees wanted to preserve the ward quota for their children and grandchildren for admission as an additional benefit along with their salaries and other facilities.聽
Professor Omar Faruk Sarker, general secretary of RU Teachers Association, meanwhile, told 抖阴精品 that they had urged the university administration to increase ward quota for the children and grandchildren of the university teachers, officials, and employees to five per cent from the existing three per cent.
Contacted, Salauddin Ammar, one of the RU coordinators of the Student Movement Against Discrimination, said, 鈥楾he university teachers, officials, and employees are not backward communities of society. The ward quota must be cancelled,鈥� he said.
Pro-vice-chancellor professor Mohammad Main Uddin said that they were in a perplexed situation over the ward quota issue.
鈥榃e could not publish the admission test circular this year. If we fail to reach a solution to the problem, the admission for the undergraduate courses may be delayed,鈥� he said.
The preliminary application process for the first-year admission is scheduled to begin on January 5 and to end on January 16 while the tests are scheduled to be held on April 12, 19, and 26.
Earlier, the government issued a notification on July 23, cutting quotas for freedom fighters鈥� children and grandchildren to 5 per cent from 30 per cent for jobs in government, semi-government and autonomous institutions amid student protests that led to the fall of the AL-led government on August 5.
Rajshahi University students, meanwhile, on Sunday staged a demonstration, displaying red cards to teachers and employees of the university.
Several hundred of them brought out a protest procession on the campus at about 2:30pm and later held a rally on the university鈥檚 Paris Road reiterating their demand for cancellation of the ward quota.
