The Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) has taken three days to consider the demand of 46th BCS candidates to postpone the written exam date.
On Tuesday, the PSC Chairman Professor Dr Mobasser Monem, confirmed this information through Major Rizwan of the Bangladesh Army.
The army official representing the PSC said: "The PSC board has been given three days from Wednesday to Friday. During these three days, discussions will take place with the relevant parties, and a decision will be made regarding the postponement of the 46th BCS written exam date. Further details will be announced."
The 46th BCS candidates said that they need a clear and written confirmation of the postponement by 5pm Friday. If not, they will launch a protest demanding the resignation of the full PSC board starting from Sunday.
They also emphasized the need for assurance that no exams will take place until June.
The coordinator of the movement, Dr Md Siam, informed Dhaka Tribune: "A tentative schedule, including possible months for the BCS exam, was typically provided at least two months before the written exam. However, this time, the PSC announced the exam date on May 8 without giving any prior notice, which is unreasonable. We demand an immediate change in the schedule, officially."
The protesters pointed out that the PSC had previously announced the potential written exam date for the 46th BCS to be in the last week of May via their Facebook page. According to this, they had been preparing.
However, they were notified just before Eid that the written exam would start on May 8, even though the 40th BCS viva exam was ongoing.
Additionally, the results of the 45th BCS written exam, held over a year ago, have not been declared yet.
Now, the 46th BCS written exam is being arranged hastily, followed by the 47th BCS preliminary exam just a month later.
The 46th BCS candidates argued that giving just one month's notice for a 900-mark exam is unreasonable, especially when the 47th BCS preliminary exam received a two-month notice.
The candidates further shared that the 44th BCS viva exams started on December 22, 2024.
More than six months have passed, and still, half of the candidates have not completed their viva, they added.
They are unsure when the process will be completed.
In the meantime, the written exam for the 46th BCS is scheduled for May 8, and the preliminary exam for the 47th BCS is set for June 27.
Many candidates will have to participate in both the 46th and 47th exams, making it difficult to prepare adequately.
Furthermore, if the schedule is maintained, multiple exams may overlap on the same day, which is not feasible, they said.
Therefore, they are demanding that the written exam be postponed.
They also mentioned that they had previously approached the authorities two weeks ago but received no decision.
If their legitimate demand is not met within three days, they would demand the resignation of the full PSC board.
Earlier, on Tuesday, 46th BCS written exam candidates began protesting in front of the PSC office.
Initially, they gathered outside the gate and began chanting slogans.
During the protest, PSC Chairman Dr Mobasser Monem spoke to the media after an event, saying: "Those who are studying are ready. They have been preparing for a long time. I don't think they are waiting for two weeks to postpone the exam. It is possible to take two exams on the same syllabus. Therefore, the demand to postpone the exam does not seem reasonable."
He added: "Our main task is to clear the BCS backlog. We are working on a roadmap, and there are limited opportunities to resolve it. Also, there is a fixed schedule for printing the question papers, and it cannot be delayed indefinitely."
