BPSC draws up roadmap to complete one BCS within a year

Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PCS) published the circular of 40th BCS (Bangladesh Civil Service) examination in September of 2018.

Its viva-voce began on 16 February following the completion of the preliminary and the written examinations. The number of total job seekers is 10,964.

The PSC said if everything goes as usual, the final result will be published in next June after completing viva-voce.

The recruitment for a BCS takes almost three years after completing preliminary, written and viva examinations. Then verification of the candidates by various agencies including police, medical and other tests take another year to publish the gazette. After all, a candidate waits for at least four years to get a BCS job.

There is a frustration among young male and female job seekers over such a lengthy process of BCS. Amid this circumstance, the PSC has taken a initiative to complete the process of a single BCS within a year after completing the ongoing process of four BCS recruitments. So, the PCS has drawn up a roadmap taking the deadline into consideration.

PCS chairman Md Sohrab Hossain told Prothom Alo on Monday that they will work in accordance with the roadmap from the 44th BCS. It’s difficult but not impossible. Before that, they are trying their best to solve the tangle of the four ongoing BCS recruitments, he added.

The process of the 41st, 42nd and 43rd BCS examinations is underway along with 40th BCS. Some 2,166 cadres will be recruited through the 41st BCS. Application began at the end of 2019. A total of 404,650 job seekers applied for it.

PSC chairman said the preliminary examination of the 41st BCS was supposed to be held last year but it didn’t take place due to coronavirus pandemic. Now, a meeting of the commission has decided to hold the test on 19 March.

Though a group of applicants demand the test to be deferred due to the ongoing situation but the PSC has not taken any new decision yet.

Two thousand physicians will be recruited through the 42nd BCS. The first phase exam of 200 marks was held on 26 February. Now the PCS will select the final candidates after conducting the viva-voce containing 100 marks.

Application deadline of the 43rd BCS has been extended to 31 March. Universities will reopen on 24 May amidst the coronavirus situation. The government said application deadline will be deferred in light with this announcement. The PSC chairman said application deadline of this BCS will be extended.

Sources at the PCS said a target of 95 days has been set in the roadmap to publish the circular of a BCS examination, conduct the preliminary examination and release the result of preliminary test. Online application will continue for 30 days. Formulation and moderation of question papers for the written tests (compulsory) will be underway during the operation of preliminary examination.

Entire activities of the written tests will be completed in the next 127 days. Compulsory written tests will be held in seven days and subject-wise written tests in 12 days. Answers sheets of the written test will be evaluated in 75 days.

Other activities including the publication of the result will be carried out in the remaining days. There will be a total of 110 days for viva-voce. Viva will be held in 100 days. Other related work will be carried out in the remaining days, according to the PSC roadmap.

The PSC, in fact, selects the candidate as per the government’s demand. The government recruited them. Hundreds of thousands of youths mainly set their goals for the BCS job. Nowadays, many prefer BCS job. On the other, there is a dissatisfaction among them over the lengthy process of the BCS recruitment.

Whether is it possible to implement the initiative taken to complete a single BCS in a year?

In reply to this query, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder told Prothom Alo, “Firstly, I welcome the initiative. Secondly, the process of a single BCS should be compared in a year and it’s possible. But it hasn’t been possible due to lack of willingness as well as some flawed rules.”

*This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna