Stop political consideration in BCS cadre, non-cadre recruitment

The new decision made by the Public Service Commission (PSC) in recruiting non-cadre posts through BCS, is in question. Many job aspirants expressed their discontent saying this would restrict recruitment to non-cadre posts in each BCS.

While the PSC chairman argued in favour of the new rules, the number of candidates for non-cadre posts varies from one BCS from another. New rules are being introduced to alleviate such disparity.

In the new rules, the number of non-cadre posts allocated to each of the last four BCSs will be fixed in advance. PSC has sent a letter to the ministry of public administration on 23 August about the implementation of this decision from the 40th BCS. According to the letter, a list of 1207 vacant posts has been submitted to PSC for recruitment in ninth, tenth and eleventh grade.

According to a Prothom Alo report quoting PSC, after the appointment to cadre posts on the basis of merit in the last few BCS the remaining candidates were kept in the waiting list for non-cadre posts.

In the meantime, letters were written to various ministries and departments requesting them to send the number of first and second class vacant posts to the PSC. Later recruitment to non-cadre posts was recommended on the basis of merit. The new BCS notification will mention the number of cadre posts as well as non-cadre posts.

However, in the case of the ongoing 40th, 41st, 43rd and 44th BCS, it will be reviewed how many vacant posts were there during which BCS and recommendation will be made for non-cadre posts based on merit, the commission said.

PSC is recruiting to various non-cadre posts of first and second class from the waiting list from 29th BCS. The data of the last five BCS shows that, without exception, less than half of the candidates on the list get placements. In this situation job aspirants will be deprived if the number of posts is specified for each BCS in non-cadre posts.

However, political considerations have become a major obstacle in the recruitment of BCS officers. According to media reports, 631 candidates who cleared all the exams in 33rd to 38th BCS were denied jobs due to political reasons.

Their recruitment has been held up in the name of police verification. Previously, the special branch of the police used to provide this report. Now candidates have to take ‘clearance certificate’ from several government agencies as well as local leaders of the ruling party. There are also allegations of extortion.

Supreme Court lawyer Shahdin Malik said, “The colonial government introduced such laws because they distrusted the people of this country. I do not see the logic of this law in a free country. Whether someone has a criminal case or not on his name, can be checked through police verification, not by any other means.”

Depriving candidates who have cleared all the PSC exams from jobs for political reasons is not only depriving meritorious people of the opportunity to serve the country, but it is also wrong according to the constitution and human rights. PSC also has some responsibility to do something in this regard.