5% quota for uprising victims' children canceled, reserved seats to remain

The Ministry of Education has canceled its earlier order allocating a 5% quota for the children of those injured or killed during the July uprising in government schools amid controversy. 

Instead, the ministry has instructed schools to reserve one additional seat per class for these students.

On Monday (March 3), the ministry issued a new order revoking the previous directive. 

Mst Ruhima Akter, Deputy Secretary (Secondary-1) of the Ministry of Education, confirmed the decision on Tuesday (March 4).

The new order states, "Due to the July-August 2024 mass uprising, many students and citizens were injured or martyred. The order issued on February 20, 2025, regarding the admission of their family members to government secondary schools has been canceled, and a new order is being issued."

It further adds, "For the admission of family members of those injured or martyred in the July 2024 uprising, one additional seat per class will be reserved through a lottery system. Applicants must submit verified copies of relevant certificates or gazettes with their applications and present the original documents during admission. The admission process must be completed after proper verification of the gazettes issued by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. If no eligible candidates from the families of the injured or martyred are found, the seat will be filled from the merit list. Under no circumstances should the seat remain vacant."

Earlier, on March 2, the ministry had issued an order stating that children of those injured or killed during the July-August 2024 uprising would receive a 5% quota in government school admissions, similar to the freedom fighter quota. The order had specified that 5% of seats in government secondary schools would be reserved for the children of freedom fighters, martyred freedom fighters, and the families of those injured or martyred in the July 2024 uprising.