New date announced for cancelled Department of Youth Development recruitment test

The recruitment test for assistant upazila youth development officers under the Department of Youth Development, which was cancelled over allegations of a question paper leak, will be held on Friday, 16 October.

The one-hour examination will take place from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm that day. DM Atikur Rahman, director (administration) of the Department of Youth Development, confirmed the information.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has formed a five-member committee to investigate the allegations. The committee has been asked to submit its report within the next three working days.

Around 300,000 jobseekers applied for the recruitment test for 242 posts. They travelled to Dhaka to sit the examination today, Saturday, only to learn at the last moment that it had been cancelled.

As a result, they faced various difficulties, including travel, accommodation and food expenses. After the cancellation was announced, angry candidates staged spontaneous protests on roads in different parts of Dhaka. Some also demanded compensation.

The recruitment test for assistant upazila youth development officers was scheduled to take place today, Saturday. Candidates travelled to Dhaka from different parts of the country. About two minutes after OMR sheets were distributed at the examination centres, they were informed that the test had been cancelled.

Faria Ferdous, a student at MM College in Jashore, had travelled to Dhaka to sit the examination. She said the cancellation was announced immediately after the OMR sheets were distributed at the centre. They had not expected to face such a situation after travelling from distant places with their preparations complete, she said.

After news of the cancellation spread, candidates staged spontaneous protests on roads in different parts of Dhaka, including Motijheel, Manik Mia Avenue and Sat Masjid Road.

Their main grievance was that the decision to cancel the examination had been communicated only after they reached the centres. In addition to their exam preparations, the money they had spent on travelling to Dhaka, accommodation and food had consequently become an uncertain loss.

A candidate from the Department of Physics at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology said nearly 300,000 jobseekers had travelled to Dhaka to sit the examination. He questioned who would bear their travel, accommodation and food expenses. Some candidates demanded compensation.

The night before the examination, allegations emerged that the question paper had been circulated on social media. Candidates alleged that although there had been discussions about the circulation of the question paper beforehand, the decision to cancel the examination was announced only after they had reached the centres.

This further increased the difficulties faced by candidates who had travelled from distant places.

DM Atikur Rahman, director (administration) of the Department of Youth Development, had said that some parts of the questions circulated on social media matched those in the actual question paper. The decision to cancel the examination was taken for this reason.

After the cancellation, candidates had been waiting for a new date to be announced. According to sources at the department, the examination will now be held on Friday, 16 October, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Candidates will therefore have to prepare for the examination again. Those who travelled to Dhaka from different districts and faced difficulties the previous day will have to make travel arrangements once more to sit the examination on the new date.

The post of assistant upazila youth development officer is in the 11th grade of government service. A recruitment notice was published to fill 242 posts, attracting around 300,000 applicants. This means an average of approximately 1,240 candidates are competing for each post.

Intense competition for government jobs in the employment market makes recruitment examinations extremely important for candidates. Many spend money on preparation, travel and accommodation. As a result, cancellation of an examination causes not only financial losses but also a waste of their time and preparation.

According to World Bank estimates for 2025, around two million young people enter Bangladesh’s labour market each year. With so many young people seeking employment, competition for the limited number of government jobs has become increasingly intense.

The announcement of a new date has now given candidates another opportunity to sit the examination. However, no information was available on whether the department had decided to compensate candidates for the difficulties they faced the previous day.

A press release issued today by the office of the director general of the Department of Youth Development said a five-member committee had been formed to investigate the allegations of a question paper leak. The additional secretary of the administration wing of the Ministry of Youth and Sports has been appointed as convener of the committee.

The other members are a joint secretary from the relevant section of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, a representative of joint secretary rank from the Ministry of Public Administration, and a director of the Department of Youth Development. The department’s deputy director (administration sub-division) will serve as member-secretary.

The office order states that the committee must investigate the circulation of the recruitment examination’s question paper on social media and submit its report within the next three working days. The committee may co-opt new members if necessary. Disciplinary action will be taken against those found responsible after the investigation report is received.