State minister for public administration Md Abdul Bari on Thursday told the Jatiya Sangsad that 93 per cent of recruitment to the first- and second-class government jobs was currently based on merit, with the remaining positions allocated under various quota categories, including freedom fighters’ children.

Responding to a written question tabled by opposition lawmaker Md Nurul Islam, the minister said that the quota distribution followed a government gazette issued on July 23, 2024.

Under the current system, 93 per cent of posts are filled on merit, while 5 per cent is reserved for the children of freedom fighters, martyred freedom fighters and war heroines.

A further 1 per cent is allocated to ethnic minorities, and another 1 per cent to persons with disabilities and third-gender individuals, the state minister said.

In reply to another question, the minister said that during the past 16 years under the Awami League government, which was ousted on August 5, 2024, in the wake of a mass uprising, 12 officers in the Bangladesh Civil Service administration cadre had been compulsorily retired, 39 dismissed from service and 564 others placed on special duty.

He said that allegations of corruption and politicisation in BCS cadre recruitment during the AL regime were currently under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission and other law enforcement agencies, and that legal action would be taken based on the findings and recommendations.

Responding to a separate question from ruling party lawmaker Harun-or-Rashid, the state minister said that reforming the recruitment process for the BCS and other government jobs remained a key priority.

He said that efforts were under way to replace the existing rote-learning-based syllabus with a more skills-based assessment system.

To this end, a committee has been formed to review civil service examination systems in other countries and recommend necessary revisions to the BCS syllabus.

The state minister said that competency-based interviews would soon be introduced for viva examinations, allowing candidates to be assessed on their knowledge, skills and attitude.

He also said that steps were being taken to streamline the recruitment process in order to complete a BCS examination cycle within a single year.