The Secretary Committee on Administrative Improvement has approved a proposal to amend relevant rules to increase viva marks by up to 400 percent while lowering the written test pass mark for recruitment to grades 11-20.
The committee approved the Ministry of Public Administration’s proposal at a meeting at the Secretariat on Sunday, with Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani in the chair, meeting sources said. The 13-member committee is the highest administrative body for policy decisions.
Public administration stakeholders fear the move, if implemented, could further compromise recruitment standards for lower-grade employees.
However, the decision was not gazetted until yesterday.
Currently, first- and second-class employees (grades 1 to 10) are recruited through the Public Service Commission (PSC), while third- and fourth-class employees (grades 11 to 20) are recruited under the respective rules of individual ministries, divisions and subordinate bodies.
While PSC recruitment is considered relatively fair, there are widespread allegations of corruption in hiring by ministries and their subordinate offices. Public administration sources believe the proposed changes could make corruption easier.
There are currently around 20 lakh government posts in the civil administration, with third- and fourth-class employees accounting for nearly 13.25 lakh, according to Ministry of Public Administration data. This means the new rules, if implemented, would affect about 65 percent of recruitments.
The proposed rules will not apply to appointments in the disciplined forces -- police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Bangladesh Coast Guard and Ansar -- or to posts under the Public Service Commission.
On Sunday, the committee agreed to raise viva marks from 10 to 25, 40 and 50 across three tiers for grades 11 to 20. The current minimum pass mark in written examinations for these grades is 50 percent, which the proposed rules seek to reduce.
Under the proposal, the viva for grades 11 and 12 would carry 50 marks instead of 10, a 400 percent increase. The written test would carry 100 marks instead of 90. Candidates currently need 50 percent to pass the written test, but the proposed rules would lower the threshold to 35 percent.
For grades 13 to 16, the existing viva and written examination marks are 10 and 90, respectively. The proposal would change these to 40 and 60, while lowering the written-test pass mark from 50 percent to 40 percent.
For grades 17 to 20, the viva and written examination marks are currently 10 and 40, respectively. Under the proposal, they would be 25 and 25.
Former secretary and public administration researcher Abdul Awal Mazumder believes the move will be counterproductive if implemented.
“Regardless of whether a post is in a higher or lower grade, 10 marks are enough for a viva examination; at most, it could be 20. There are already many problems stemming from corruption allegations in departmental and agency recruitments. Increasing viva marks may further complicate recruitment,” he told The Daily Star.
He said such a move might tarnish the current government’s image not only now but for years to come.
“So, I would say, please do not do anything that will erode good governance; this decision is undoubtedly against good governance.”
Meanwhile, in its reasoning presented to the secretaries’ committee, the Ministry of Public Administration said candidates appearing for these posts attempt to secure jobs using proxy examinees, artificial intelligence and various electronic devices. This creates a risk of unqualified candidates being appointed instead of genuinely qualified ones, it said.
“Against this backdrop, to select genuinely qualified candidates through recruitment examinations, it is necessary to revise the existing mark distribution for direct recruitment to grades 11–20 (formerly 3rd and 4th class) across all ministries or divisions and directorates, directorates general, offices, and agencies under them,” the ministry stated.
Asked for comment, Md Quamruzzaman Chowdhury, secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, told The Daily Star last night: “The government is working towards establishing a meritocracy, and this initiative is part of that effort.”
