47th BCS: PSC sends proposal to ministry to halve Tk700 application fee

The Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Public Administration to halve the application fee for the 47th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations.

The proposal, sent to the ministry today, advocated for reducing the Tk700 application fee by half to Tk350, said an official of the ministry.

Many job aspirants criticised the Tk700 application fee after the publication of the 47th BCS exams circular, which compelled the BPSC to take steps in this regard.

Earlier, the commission had announced to reduce the fee for this round of the public service recruitment test aligning with the commitment it made during the protests carried out by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

The circular for the exams was published on the afternoon of 28 November, announcing a total of 3,688 vacancies.

Among these, 3,487 positions are for various cadres, while 201 are designated for non-cadre roles.

According to the circular, the age of applicants will be calculated as of 1 November 2024.

The online application process will start at 10am on 10 December and will remain open until 11:59pm on 31 December.

The 47th BCS exams aim to recruit 3,487 cadre vacancies across various sectors, including administration, education, and health. Additionally, 201 non-cadre positions will be filled through the examination. 

The notice also mentioned the inclusion of several newly created roles in this BCS.

Meanwhile, the Public Administration Reform Commission has decided that it will recommend the government to remove the word "cadre" from civil service.

After a meeting of the commission at the secretariat on Sunday, the public administration ministry's Senior Secretary Md Mokhles Ur Rahman said the word "cadre" is perceived negatively so the commission will recommend its removal.