Job exam scraped at last minute, 300,000 aspirants seek compensation

Metro rail stations in the capital, particularly Dhaka University, Agargaon, Kazipara and Shewrapara, were unusually crowded on Saturday morning, a public holiday.

One of the main reasons was a recruitment examination for assistant upazila youth development officers under the Department of Youth Development.

Nearly 300,000 candidates had applied for 242 posts. Many had travelled to Dhaka from different districts to sit for the examination.

However, just two minutes after the OMR answer sheets were distributed at the examination centres, candidates were informed that the test had been cancelled.

Angered by the last-minute decision, the jobseekers are now demanding adequate compensation.

Faria Ferdous had travelled to Dhaka from MM College in Jashore to take the examination.

Speaking at Karwan Bazar metro station, she said she had struggled to reach the examination centre in the morning. The OMR sheets were distributed at the scheduled time, but two minutes later, officials in charge of the examination hall entered the room and announced that the test had been cancelled due to unavoidable circumstances.

Faria and the other candidates in the room were stunned by the announcement after receiving their OMR sheets and preparing to begin the examination.

They had to bear the costs of travelling to Dhaka, accommodation and food themselves. With the examination cancelled, that money had gone to waste.

Anger spread across several examination centres following the announcement.

Some candidates staged protests on the streets after leaving their centres. Road blockades and demonstrations were also reported on Satmasjid Road in Dhanmondi, Manik Mia Avenue and in the Mirpur area.

A candidate from the Department of Physics at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, speaking on condition of anonymity, said nearly 300,000 jobseekers had travelled to Dhaka from across the country. Their travel, food and accommodation expenses were substantial.

“Who will take responsibility for the financial losses caused by the cancellation? Does the suffering of jobseekers have no value?” the candidate asked, demanding adequate compensation from the government for those affected.

Candidates alleged that reports of a question paper leak, along with samples of the questions, had circulated on social media from Friday night.

They said the authorities should have verified the allegations and taken necessary action beforehand. Instead, the cancellation was announced after candidates had entered the examination centres and received their OMR sheets.

Asked about the cancellation and the alleged question leak, Mazharul Haque, an assistant director of the Department of Youth Development, told Prothom Alo that the decision had been made to postpone the examination and that a new date would be announced as soon as possible. He said he was unaware of whether the question paper had been leaked.

DM Atikur Rahman, director of the department's administration wing, said the examination had been postponed after partial similarities were found between the question paper circulating on social media and the original paper.

Candidates, however, want answers about how the question paper got out, who was involved and what action would be taken. They have also called on the authorities to clarify their position on the financial losses they suffered because of the cancellation.

The post of assistant upazila youth development officer is classified under Grade 11 of the government pay scale. There were 242 vacancies, against which nearly 300,000 candidates applied. This means an average of approximately 1,240 candidates were competing for each post.

Affected jobseekers said candidates had to prepare for months for a recruitment examination. Many balance their job preparation with family responsibilities and studies. Those travelling from distant districts also have to pay for transport and accommodation. As a result, the impact of a cancelled examination goes beyond losing a day's time.

According to a 2025 World Bank estimate, around two million young people enter Bangladesh's labour market every year. Creating enough quality jobs for them remains a major challenge. Against this backdrop, competition for the limited number of government jobs has intensified.

For jobseekers, each recruitment examination represents months of preparation and hopes for the future. Ensuring the security of question papers before an examination and taking timely action when irregularities are suspected are responsibilities of the authorities.

Cancelling an examination may be necessary when there are concerns about the security of the question paper. However, the financial and psychological pressure such a decision places on ordinary candidates cannot be ignored.

The candidates are demanding that a new examination date be announced quickly. They have also called on the authorities to consider adequate compensation or other remedies for those who travelled long distances and suffered losses.

The question, therefore, is not simply when the examination will be held. The investigation into the alleged question paper leak, the identification of those responsible and the steps taken by the authorities to address the losses suffered by candidates are equally important.