The New Nation - Internet Edition

Ahead of the 28th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations, pressure is mounting to end the quota system in the recruitment of class one officers in different cadre services. Students as contenders for BCS jobs have a stake in the recruitment method and, as such, they are deeply concerned at how civil service officers are chosen. They have a legitimate ground to air their feelings in this regard. The recruitment policy also involves the interest of the nation. According to media reports, students of different universities and colleges demonstrated against the existing quota system. They are for ending the quota system so that more talented and meritorious students can enter the cadre services through competition. Brilliant students seek jobs in the civil services but many of them are deprived of the same due to the quota system.

Because of weakness of the existing method of recruitment, candidates not having the required merit might enter the services. This raises questions about the competence of the officers of the republic. Under the existing arrangement, 55 percent of the officers are recruited through quota intended to promote some sections of the population including women, indigenous people who lag behind and dependents of freedom fighters while only 45 percent are recruited through merit test. The demand for doing away with quota system deserves to be considered. First of all, civil services are different from other government services. In some cadres the civil servants are the policy makers. Smooth running of the government machinery depends much on the calibre and qualities of the civil servants. Naturally, civil services demand that people having the highest calibre and efficiency be taken into the cadres. Recruitment of person with high capabilities can only be ensured through proper merit tests. A system where majority of the officers are selected from non-merit quota bypassing merit cannot ensure desired efficiency. This is likely to deprive the nation of the service of the most efficient sons of the soil.

Recruitment through quota keeps scope of candidates with lesser calibre into the service open. This is likely to tell upon the overall quality of the services. In the interest of the intake of people of high calibre into the civil services, the quota sysem needs to be dropped. But in case it is felt necessary to maintain the quota system for the sake of promoting backward sections of the population, a number of cadre services like administration, foreign service, police, judiciary and taxation must be kept out of the quota system. And quota should be brought down to the minimum in the interest of efficiency of administration.