Promotion gridlock in BCS education cadre
General education cadre officials of 28th BCS examinations were recruited 10 years ago. But teachers of the mathematics department are yet to get a single promotion. Out of 2,346 education cadre officials recruited through 24th BCS some 16 years ago, only 340 could become associate professors but the remaining remain assistant professors for a long time. Even some officials of 22nd BCS still remain assistant professors.
Talking with several concerned officials of the education cadre, it has been learnt that frustration and dissatisfaction engulf officials as they are denied promotion for such a long time. In a recent letter sent to the prime minister Sheikh Hasina, certain officials requested necessary action in this regard.
Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education’s (DSHE) director general Syed Golam Faruk told Prothom Alo they prepared a list of officials and sent it to the education ministry.
The ministry is doing the rest of the work, he added.
The education cadre is one of the largest cadres in BCS. Over 13,000 officials are now working in the cadre while the number of total posts is around 15,500. Most of the officials of the education cadre work as teachers in government colleges. Some work in various education-related offices such as DSHE, National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), education boards and National Academy for Educational Management (NAEM).
At least 20 officials of education cadre told Prothom Alo that they think education ministry cares little about the promotion of officials. Officials of police, administration and some other cadres get promotion regularly even if posts are not vacant.
Officials said they want promotion according to the BCS batch.
According to DSHE, the government promoted assistant professors to the professor post for the last time in 2018. In July last year, a total of 609 officials of the cadre were promoted from the post of associate professors to professors.
DSHE secretary Md Mahbub Hossain said the promotion committee has finalised the issue of promotion to assistant professor. The process of promotion to associate professor posts would start later.
Promotion in BCS general education cadre generally takes place against vacant posts. As a result, officials of some subjects might get promoted while others from the same BCS batch might not.
Md Abdul Haque, a lecturer of mathematics department from 28th BCS, is posted at Sheikh Hasina Government Girls High School and College in Gopalganj. He joined the service in December 2010. While Abdul Haque is yet to get a promotion, many teachers of other departments from their batch and even teachers of some departments from 31st BCS have already been promoted.
DSHE directly supervises education cadre officials.
Some informed officials said a meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) was held on 9 May regarding promotion of assistant professors to associate professor post. But no decision was taken at the meeting.
A draft list was prepared for officials from 22nd BCS to 26th BCS. Around 3250 officials were primarily selected on the list. But the number of vacant posts is only 345 in this stage. Moreover, 609 professors promoted last year as working as ‘In Situ’. They are working as associate professor despite being promoted.
The education ministry wants to grant promotion only against the ‘in situ’ posts and vacant posts. As a total of 3,250 officials are eligible for promotion primarily, promotion as per the education ministry’s plan would leave most of the eligible officials. This would create further discrimination and frustration.
A DSHE official, on condition of anonymity, said the government expenditure would not increase if the eligible officials are promoted since they already receive more salary according to pay scale.
Meanwhile, promotion of around 2,500 eligible officials to assistant professor post up to 33rd BCS has been stuck.
Dhaka College principal and BCS general education society’s former president IK Selim Ullah Khondokar told Prothom Alo that officials of the education cadre should get promoted immediately.
Approval of over 12,000 proposed posts and batch-wise promotion can relieve this jam, he added.