672 Candidates Disadvantaged Despite Passing the 34th BCS Examination in Bangladesh!
Disappointment for 672 Candidates: Professional Success Overlooked by Quota Reservations
Tuhin Sarwar, Dhaka Bangladesh-
672 Candidates Disadvantaged Due to Quota Reservation Despite Passing the Exam!
Despite a similar number of vacant positions, 672 candidates have not been appointed solely due to quota reasons. This situation arises from the 34th BCS examination in Bangladesh.
In contrast, no posts were left vacant in the name of quota reservation in the previous and subsequent four BCS exams. Furthermore, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) has never provided an official explanation regarding this matter. Since 2015, the successful candidates have made repeated demands for their appointments.
Recently, these candidates have filed a writ petition in the High Court for the discrimination they faced. The court has issued a rule in favor of the candidates on this issue, but the PSC has not taken any action.
As of August 5, they continue to demand their appointment to the 672 vacant cadre posts despite the changed circumstances. An application related to this has also been submitted to the Chief Advisor of the interim government.
The 34th BCS examination was held on February 7, 2013, following a notification from the PSC. The final results of the preliminary, written, and oral examinations were published on August 29, 2015. Out of 8,763 candidates who passed, 2,159 were recommended for various cadre positions. However, the remaining 6,584 candidates, despite passing, were not recommended for cadre posts. That year, 672 posts were left vacant for the freedom fighter quota across 35 cadres.
Analysis of the published notification and final results of the 34th BCS reveals that there were five general cadre posts, 111 professional or technical cadre posts (74 assistant surgeons, 13 assistant dental surgeons, 14 veterinary posts, 274 in general education (lecturer), and 14 in general education (lecturer) in government teacher training colleges). This means that approximately 672 posts were left vacant across nearly 35 cadres. For many who passed the 34th BCS, this was their last chance. It took nearly two years and seven months to publish the final results and recommendations.
As a result, many candidates reached the age limit for government jobs. Therefore, the deprived candidates of the 34th BCS are demanding appointments based on merit for the 672 posts.
In the application sent to the Chief Advisor, it is mentioned that in the notification for the BCS (Agriculture), there were four vacant posts for Agricultural Extension Officers; however, the PSC recommended 275. In the administration cadre, there were 200 posts, but the PSC recommended 293; in the police cadre, there were 80 posts, but the recommendation was for 148; in the fisheries cadre, there were 31 posts, but the recommendation was for 75; and in the public works cadre, there were two posts, but the recommendation was for 19. The candidates feel deeply hurt and distressed by such discrepancies and inequalities in the results.
One of the affected candidates, Jahidul Islam Joni, stated that since the publication of the discriminatory results of the 34th BCS, they have been advocating against the discrimination in various government offices. A writ was filed in the High Court for appointments in the vacant posts. The High Court instructed the PSC on November 19, 2018, to recommend candidates for the vacant posts. However, even after six years since the court's directive, the PSC has not made any recommendations for these vacancies.
Another candidate, Mohammad Kamrul Islam Rashed, remarked that the candidates discriminated against in the 34th BCS were the first to initiate protests in Shahbagh in 2015. This led to intensified movements, including the quota reform movement in 2018 and the anti-discrimination student movement in 2024.
He called upon the government to recommend candidates based on merit for the 672 vacant cadre posts in the 34th BCS, following the executive's directives.
Mohammad Tofijul Islam, another candidate affected by the quota discrimination, said they were the first to face significant quota discrimination during the 34th BCS. Due to this discrimination, they had staged large-scale protests in 2015-16. Many candidates were arrested and faced harassment while holding sit-ins in Shahbagh.
Recently, they submitted applications to the Chief Advisor, Ali Imam Majumdar, who is appointed in the Chief Advisor's office, as well as to advisors on law and parliament affairs, sports and youth, livestock, the public administration secretary, and the PSC chairman.
However, no department has responded yet. In this situation, they have decided to hold a press conference on October 5 to bring this issue to the nation’s attention. Their age limit for government jobs has expired, and if their problems are not resolved in a discrimination-free Bangladesh, they will have no other option.
Advisor Ali Imam Majumdar, representing the deprived candidates, has called for the current government to resolve this issue through an executive order, canceling the previous unconstitutional, inhumane, and quota-discriminatory orders, and recommending candidates for the 672 vacant cadre posts based on merit.
A senior official from the PSC stated that after a BCS concludes, the PSC has no further work related to it. The PSC's role is solely to recommend candidates. However, if there is a court ruling, the candidates will certainly receive what they are entitled to. If anyone has objections regarding any BCS, there is nothing the PSC can do; only the government can make such decisions.
Mafuzul Haque, an associate professor in the law department at Dhaka University, stated that there are no legal complexities in appointing candidates to the 672 vacant posts in the 34th BCS. If there are no major questions, candidates should definitely be appointed to the 672 vacant posts based on merit, as they have proven their merit through their studies.