Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday stressed the need for imparting both skilled and soft training to public servants, alongside strengthening the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) through operational autonomy.
“Recruitment is very important. Ultimately, training should be held quite well. But not only skill training, soft training is also needed,” he said.
The Finance Adviser was addressing an event titled “Transformation of Bangladesh Public Service Commission: Achievements, Challenges and Way Forward” as the chief guest at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center (BCFCC) in the capital in the evening.
The BPSC and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly arranged the event to showcase the reform journey of the Commission, highlighting achievements, challenges, and the way forward to build a more transparent, efficient, and merit-based public service recruitment system.
Dr Salehuddin said sincerity, honesty and patriotism among public servants are equally important alongside skills and merit.
“Two issues were raised by the BPSC—operational autonomy and financial autonomy. But I think the first urgent thing should be its operational autonomy,” he said.
He noted that financial autonomy could not be discussed in detail as many issues are linked to it. “But I do agree with the operational autonomy,” he added.
The Finance Adviser urged all concerned to give priority to merit in recruitment, expressing hope that BPSC examinations would also set an example for the private sector.
Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul said that during the previous regime, deserving candidates were deprived of government jobs due to the quota system, question paper leaks, anomalies in viva voce, and the so-called police verification.
“The situation was terrible. But after assuming responsibility, we tried to give appointments to the deserving candidates,” he said.
Noting that BCS examinations should be held every year, Dr Nazrul supported implementing reform initiatives at the BPSC.
BPSC Chairman Prof Mobasser Monem said the Commission has planned to complete a Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination within one year by introducing a new evaluation system, but lack of administrative and financial autonomy remains a barrier to implementing this plan.
“The biggest challenge for the Commission is to complete a BCS within a year. However, one of the obstacles is the lack of administrative and financial independence,” he said.
Prof Monem explained that the Commission has introduced a new “Circular System of Paper Evaluation” to reduce delays in the exam process. “Through this system, it is possible to complete one BCS within a year. If we publish the BCS advertisement on November 1, the final result can be declared by October 31 the following year,” he said.
However, he pointed out that implementing the new system requires regulatory amendments. The BPSC has already sent a proposal to the ministry, but even after four months the rule has not been approved. “If we had the authority to frame our own rules, we could work far more dynamically,” he added.
“We need administrative autonomy and financial autonomy. Without these, the Commission cannot function dynamically and cannot deliver on the aspirations of millions of youths in Bangladesh,” he said.
Prof Monem noted that since the new Commission assumed office after the July 2014 student movement, it has tried to uphold the spirit of that uprising.
“Our first challenge was to restore confidence in this institution, as there was a crisis of trust when we joined. Over the last 10 months, we have conducted at least 50 examinations, including BCS, without a single allegation of question paper leak,” he said.
He added that the Commission had been weakened since 2011. Earlier, the PSC enjoyed greater constitutional autonomy, but later it was placed almost directly under ministerial control. “If this continues, it will never be possible to complete a BCS within one year,” he said.
With administrative and financial independence, the PSC could be transformed into a more dynamic, trusted, and merit-based institution, the Chairman added.
Power and Energy Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, Public Administration Senior Secretary Dr Md Mokhlesur Rahman, UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stefan Liller, and Deputy Head of Switzerland Embassy in Dhaka Diepak Elmer also spoke on the occasion.
PSC Member Prof Chowdhury Saima Ferdous presented the keynote paper on “Transformation of BPSC: Achievements, Challenges, and Way Forward.”
