The Bangladesh Administrative Service Association (BASA) has called for increasing the entry age for government jobs to 35 years and the retirement age to 65 years. The association urged the government to take immediate steps to reform the age limits, considering the needs of the new generation and focusing on merit.
The demand was made through a press release signed by the association's president, Md. Anwar Ullah, and Secretary General Muhammad Mahbubur Rahman, which was shared with the media on Thursday . Currently, the entry age for government service is 30 years (32 years for Muktijodha quota holders), and the retirement age is 59 years (60 years for Muktijodha quota holders).
Citing data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the association noted that the average life expectancy in Bangladesh has risen to 72.3 years. They also highlighted that public university teachers retire at 65, and Supreme Court judges retire at 67. Some contractual appointees continue to work even beyond the age of 67.
The notification pointed out that 162 countries around the world set the entry age for government service at 35 years, with some countries having no upper age limit. It also noted that the retirement age in many countries ranges from 65 to 67 years, and in some cases, up to 72 years.
The association claimed that honest, qualified, and talented officials have been oppressed under the previous authoritarian governments over the last 15 years, missing out on timely promotions and postings. Talented youth have also been deprived of government job opportunities due to quota-based recruitment influenced by political considerations. The association stressed that increasing the age limits would create a fairer system for job aspirants and government employees.
