Jobseekers aggrieved as 14 employment exams today
For the jobseekers, every Friday since September has appeared to be a take a pick
With the recruitments halted for around one and a half years, Akbar Hossain now gets four admit cards for job exams. Three of the exams will be held at the same time today and the economics post-graduate must take his pick.
"I had to spend Tk1,000 to Tk2,000 for each job application. But now I feel disappointed as the authorities concerned ask me to attend examinations at the same time," Akbar said, venting anger on "lack of coordination" among the public employers.
"They [the recruiters] have fleeced us and shattered our dreams. They have no right to do this," the jobseeker added.
Like him, thousands of jobseekers will not be able to appear for all the exams they have applied for as 14 employment tests will be held today. On 5 November, 21 examinations were held and on 29 October, 18 exams were held.
Usually, the public recruiters choose the weekends for the exams at educational institutions since the schools remain closed on Friday and Saturday.
In the last 18 months, there were no new job circulations for the public posts and recruitment exams too could not be held owing to the Covid situation. With the virus situation improving since late August, the recruiters are now sprinting to complete the pending tests leading multiple recruitment exams on each Friday.
Humayun Kabir, executive director of the Bangladesh Bank and member of Bangladesh Bankers' Selection Committee that is responsible for bank recruitments, told The Business Standard that coordination among the recruiters is difficult as the public institutions take the recruitment decision as per their boards' decision.
But Barrister Saleh Akram Somrat, an advocate at the Supreme Court, told TBS that the employers must coordinate and it is possible.
"A candidate applies for a job after following and maintaining all the rules and regulations of the employer. But exams at the same time on the same day especially by the public organisations are depriving the candidates of their rights. It should be resolved immediately," he said.
Jobseekers also alleged that holding too many employment examinations on the same day compromises the management of the tests, and question leaking syndicates can exploit it.
On 5 November, jobseekers alleged that Bangladesh Bankers' Selection Committee's recruitment question was leaked. However, the committee had categorically rejected the allegation.
Sohrab Hossain, chairman of the Public Service Commission, said they are aware of too many exams on the same date.
"But we do not have much room for coordination," he said.
Farhad Hossain, state minister for public administration, said they have noted the matter and will issue a circular shortly so that the employers hold the exams on separate dates.