The cabinet has approved recommendations for abolishing quotas for class I and II government jobs, report agencies.
The approval was given at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at the Prime Minister's Office with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Earlier, a high-power government committee recommended abolishing the quota system for class I and class II jobs.
The development came in the wake of a months-long campaign that led to the arrests of protest leaders and activists.
Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam briefed reporters at the secretariat.
"Now, the recruitment to the class I and II jobs will be made directly on merit basis," the cabinet secretary said, adding the quota system will be there only in class-3 and class-4 jobs.
The Ministry of the Public Administration will be informed about the cabinet's decision, and it will issue a gazette notification in this regard later, said M Shafiul Alam.
On September 17, the Quota Review Committee, led by the Cabinet Secretary, recommended abolishing the quota system from the 9th to 13th grades (class I and II) of government jobs and submitted its report to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
There were three recommendations. The cabinet has approved the three recommendations of the committee, he said.
"If the quota for the disadvantaged community is required, the government can decide on it."
On July 02, the government formed the seven-member committee to review the existing quota system in public service.
In April, students of public and private universities across the country waged a strong movement demanding reforms in the quota system in public service recruitment process.
In the face of the movement, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in parliament on April 11 the abolition of all types of quotas in government jobs.
She said that 30 per cent of quota will remain as per the directive of the High Court.
But no gazette notification has so far been issued regarding the abolishment of the quota system as per the Prime Minister's declaration.
Later, the government formed the quota review committee on June 02 to reform the system.
According to the existing rules, the quota system allows the government to preserve 56 per cent posts in jobs under different quotas: 30 per cent for families of freedom fighters, 10 per cent for women, 10 per cent for disadvantaged districts, 5.0 per cent for small ethnic groups and 1.0 per cent for people with disabilities.
Meanwhile, Muktijoddha Sangsad Sontan Command, a platform of freedom fighters' children, staged demonstration in the city's Shahbag area soon after Wednesday evening following the cabinet's nod to scrap the quota provision for them in classes I and II government jobs, according to private TV channels.
They demanded retention of the existing 30 per cent quota for children of freedom fighters.
