RU reduces dependent quota for admissions to 1% from 4%

The Rajshahi University administration has decided to reduce the dependent quota – fixed for the children of the university's teachers and employees – for admission from the existing 4% to 1%.

The move comes in the face of continuous protests by students to eliminate the quota system in university admission.

The university announced the reduction in a press statement issued by its public relations wing this afternoon (1 January).

The quota for sons and daughters of teachers, officers and employees has been re-fixed for undergraduate and undergraduate (Honours) admissions in the academic year 2024-2025.

"Now it has been decided to keep the quota at 1% only for sons and daughters of assistants and general employees," reads the press statement.

This decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the admission committee held at the Senate building of the university, it adds.

Committee President Vice-Chancellor Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib presided over the meeting.

RU students have been protesting for the last month demanding the removal of the dependent quota.

When asked about the latest development, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement's RU unit Coordinator Salauddin Ammar said, "We want the complete abolishment of the dependent quota category. We are not satisfied with it just being reduced to 1%."

RU is the second public university to change its quota system in recent months in the face of protests by students.

Earlier on 26 December, the Jahangirnagar University administration cancelled the VC quota, and freedom fighters' grandchildren quota in the undergraduate admission test for the academic year 2024-25.

The university also limited the number of dependent quota beneficiaries for admission to four. But to qualify for the quota, candidates must score at least 35% on the admission test.