RU students show 'red card' to dependent quota in admissions

Students of Rajshahi University today (8 December) staged a demonstration protesting the dependent quota in admissions by showing 'red cards'.

The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement held the programme on Paris Road of the university at around 3pm. About 150 students from various departments and institutes of the university participated.

The students raised slogans such as "Quota or Merit? Merit Merit", "Bury the quota system", "We will fight against dependent quota together", "Compromise or death? death, death", 'Who are you? Who am I? Meritorious, Meritorious".

Speaking at the programme, Golam Kibria Mohammad Meshkat Chowdhury, central coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said, "The pass mark in the university admission test is 40. A teacher's son was admitted under the dependent quota after getting 19.50. We want to abolish this system."

The protesters also called for an open debate with teachers on the rationality of dependent quota at the university's Shaheed Minar Mukta Mancha tomorrow.

Salauddin Ammar, one of the coordinators of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at RU, said, "Today, we showed red cards to the dependent quota. If they [teachers] can argue in favour of dependent quota in tomorrow's debate, then we, the general students, will accept the dependent quota. And if they cannot present an argument, then the quota will have to be declared cancelled."

Nasheed Muntasim Smriti, a student of the 2023-24 session of the Department of Public Administration, said, "Many admission seekers are not getting their desired subjects even after holding positions within 1,000. But the dependent quota holders are getting admission even from 4,000-6,000 positions due to their quota."

Earlier, on 14 November, the university administration issued a notification keeping a 3% dependent quota in the RU admission test. That night, some students went on a hunger strike to death demanding the cancellation of this quota. 

After about 18 hours, they broke the hunger strike on the assurance of the vice chancellor. Later, a 20-member quota review committee was formed with Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Main Uddin as the chairman.