Job exams on 27, 28 Oct postponed due to 'political programmes'

Government job seekers take last minute preparation sitting in front of the examination centre. The picture was taken from Dhaka University area.
Prothom Alo file photo

The recruitment tests scheduled for Friday and Saturday have been postponed in the face of widespread concerns over the programmes of two key political parties on 28 October.

The postponement notices did not explicitly mention the political issue, but the concerned officials informally confirmed that the potential political unrest prompted them to take the decision.

The suspended job tests include -- viva voce examination for senior officer (general) positions at eight banks and a financial institution under the combined bank exam system of Bangladesh Bank and written examination for postmaster general positions at the posts directorate slated for Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) has also suspended its recruitment tests scheduled for Friday.

However, jobseekers have demanded that the authorities also postpone the recruitment test for officer (RC) positions at Janata Bank, scheduled for Friday. A total of 66,873 candidates are supposed to sit in the exam at 27 centers in Dhaka.

Asked about the reasons for the postponement, officials from the concerned organisations said the examinations have been suspended upon requests from the examinees. The authorities took the decision on humanitarian grounds, to ensure that none of the examinees face any adversities on their way to the exam centres.

An official of the posts directorate said they will announce the deferred date for the recruitment test later.

Saidur Rahman, director at the Bankers Selection Committee secretariat, said the recruitment test for Janata Bank has not been suspended. However, the examination for the eight banks under the combined exam system has been rescheduled to a different date.

Shahadat Hossain, a job seeker, has urged the authorities to consider the safety of nearly 66,000 examinees and suspend the job test of Janata Bank.

He expressed fear that examinees from outside the capital may fail to attend the exam.