BSS, Dhaka:

Awami League (AL) General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said the demands and statements of the quota protesters are contradictory to the constitution and the fundamental principles of the state.

“The law regarding the quota system will proceed on at its own pace,” he said at a press briefing at the Awami League President’s office in city’s Dhanmondi.

Emphasizing the necessity of the quota system in the country’s current context, Quader said a vested group is attempting to exploit the quota reform movement in their personal interest.

The AL general secretary said, “In the absence of a quota system in recent years, the participation of women and marginalized communities in government services is frustrating.”

He highlighted that Bangladesh has one of the lowest quota percentages for recruitment in South Asia, citing that India has 60 percent while Pakistan 92.5 percent, Nepal 45 percent and Sri Lanka 50 percent in public sector jobs and 60 percent in university admissions.

Prior to the press briefing, Quader met with representatives from university teachers who are protesting against a pension scheme.

The meeting was joined by 13 teacher representatives led by Akhtarul Islam, President of the Bangladesh University Teachers Association Federation, and General Secretary Professor Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan.

The ‘Prottoy’ scheme under the universal pension coverage for the teachers at public universities will be introduced next year, Quader said, adding there was a misunderstanding over the matter.

He said that everyone from government and autonomous organisations will come under the coverage of the universal pension scheme from 1 July 2025.

Teachers at public universities were to join the pension scheme from 1 July 2024, but it has been made sure that teachers will join the pension scheme from 1 July 2025 like others.

About the ongoing flood crisis affecting approximately two million people across 15 districts, the minister noted that Awami League representatives and activists are actively assisting the flood victims alongside the government.

Prime Minister’s Advisor on Education and Cultural Affairs Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Deputy Minister for Education Shamsunnahar Chapa, AL Joint General Secretaries Mahabub-ul Alam Hanif and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Organizing Secretaries BM Mozammel Haque, Mirza Azam, Afzal Hossain and Sujit Roy Nandi and Office Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua, among others, were present.