The government’s decision to increase the weight of viva voce examinations in recruitment to 11th to 20th grade government jobs is an ominous indication of the BNP government’s blatant politicisation, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said today.
In a statement, he strongly condemned the move to change the balance between written and viva examinations and increase viva marks.
“The incumbent government has started extreme politicisation in important areas of the state,” Porwar said, alleging that the government had already appointed “incompetent and controversial people” on contractual terms to key positions in public universities, city corporations, district administrations and the Secretariat based on political considerations.
He said one of the key aspirations of the July Uprising was to establish a discrimination-free, corruption-free, just and merit-based state.
“Yet, the government is moving to introduce regulations in the recruitment system that will weaken merit-based assessment and open the door to irregularities, nepotism, political influence and corruption,” he said.
Porwar said the decision to allocate 50 marks each for written and viva examinations for 11th to 20th grade jobs was “deeply concerning”.
A written examination provides a relatively objective assessment of a candidate’s knowledge, merit, analytical ability and preparation, he said. Answer scripts can also be preserved, re-evaluated and audited.
Viva assessments, however, depend largely on the personal preferences and discretion of the interview board, he said.
“Increasing the weight of viva marks disproportionately will create scope to artificially alter the merit gap among candidates,” Porwar said.
“This will undermine the merit and qualifications demonstrated in the written examination and deprive deserving candidates of their rightful opportunities,” he added.
He said a large number of young people compete for 11th to 20th grade government jobs, many of whom spend years preparing for the examinations despite limited financial means.
“Their merit and hard work should not be left to an uncertain system where the results of written examinations can easily be overturned through excessive viva marks,” he said.
Porwar said preventing proxies, cheating and other examination irregularities was necessary, but increasing viva marks could not be an acceptable solution.
Technology-based examinations, biometric verification, strict monitoring at examination centres, secure question paper management, digital monitoring and stringent punishment could be used to prevent malpractice, he said.
“The responsibility of a government is to uphold that aspiration, not to create opportunities for the old system of politicisation through new methods,” he said.
“We want an administration where the identity of officials and employees will be defined by their merit, qualifications, integrity and professional competence -- not by their political identity,” Porwar said.
He urged the government to immediately scrap the decision and relevant regulations on increasing viva marks for 11th to 20th grade government jobs.
He also called for an end to political influence, nepotism, financial transactions and the culture of recommendations in recruitment, demanding a fully transparent process based on merit and qualifications.
Porwar warned that people would not accept a recurrence of discrimination, politicisation and irregularities in the “new Bangladesh” achieved through the sacrifices of those killed and injured in July [2024].
