Delay in gazettes for 45th, 49th may leave 47th BCS posts vacant

The Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination is widely regarded as one of the country’s most demanding recruitment processes. Successfully navigating its three rigorous stages—the preliminary examination, the written examination and the viva voce—is, for many young candidates, the culmination of years of hard work and perseverance.

Having one’s name appear on the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) final merit list is often seen as the end of a long and arduous journey. Yet, for many successful candidates, the reality has proved to be very different.

More than seven months have passed since the publication of the final results of the 45th General BCS and the 49th Special BCS examinations. However, the official gazette notifications confirming the appointments are yet to be issued. As a result, around 2,500 successful candidates remain trapped in uncertainty, with both their careers and future plans effectively on hold.

Speaking on Monday about the prolonged delay, state minister for public administration Abdul Bari acknowledged the issue. However, his remarks offered no direct response to the principal concern of the candidates.

He was unable to indicate a specific date for publication of the gazette notifications or confirm whether they would be issued within July.

Consequently, candidates continue to endure mounting financial hardship and psychological stress as the administrative appointment process drags on. The delay is also expected to have significant repercussions for the recently announced 47th BCS recruitment.

Enquiries reveal that many candidates who received final recommendations in the 45th General and 49th Special BCS examinations also took part in the subsequent 47th BCS recruitment because their earlier appointments had not yet been formally confirmed. Many of them successfully secured places in the final merit list once again.

Under normal circumstances, had the gazette notifications for the 45th and 49th BCS been issued on time, those candidates would simply have accepted their confirmed appointments and withdrawn from the 47th BCS recruitment process.

However, because of the continuing uncertainty, they are unwilling to forfeit either opportunity. As a result, although their names appear in multiple recruitment lists, they remain unable to relinquish their places in the 47th BCS.

Job aspirants fear that this administrative overlap could ultimately leave between 200 and 300 valuable first-class gazetted posts under the 47th BCS permanently unfilled, dealing a significant blow to educated unemployed graduates across the country.

According to sources at the public administration ministry, several statutory requirements—including police verification and, where necessary, re-verification—must be completed before appointments can be finalised.

These procedures are intended to safeguard national security and ensure that only suitably qualified individuals enter the civil service. Because these verification processes must be carried out with considerable care, they cannot simply be expedited, resulting in a degree of administrative delay.

Nevertheless, amid the current impasse, state minister Abdul Bari offered a measure of reassurance. He said government institutions are currently facing acute staff shortages, with many important departments requiring the immediate appointment of new officers.

The Ministry of Public Administration, he said, is making every possible effort to fill the vacancies and address the staffing crisis.

The state minister added that the government is working to complete all remaining procedures as swiftly as possible so that successful candidates can join the civil service at the earliest opportunity and begin serving the country.

The prolonged administrative delay has left many successful candidates facing severe financial and personal difficulties at the very outset of their careers. The lives of 1,807 successful candidates from the 45th General BCS and 668 candidates selected under the 49th Special BCS for appointments as government college lecturers have effectively been placed on hold.

Following publication of the final PSC results, many families naturally celebrated the achievement.

Buoyed by the expectation of imminent appointment, numerous candidates resigned from part-time jobs or gave up private tutoring. Months later, however, as they continue waiting for the gazette notifications, many have exhausted their savings. Consequently, although they are socially recognised as future civil servants, the reality for many is one of acute financial hardship.

Affected candidates say the government should act without further delay to remove the uncertainty surrounding their careers and prevent hundreds of valuable posts in the 47th BCS from remaining vacant.

Their principal demand is that all outstanding verification procedures be completed promptly and that the gazette notifications be issued as soon as possible.