The Public Service Commission fails to attract quality examiners for setting question papers and its moderation and conducting viva voce for the candidates of the Bangladesh Civil Service examinations due to poor remuneration.
Setting questions, moderation and viva voce are considered very important steps in the public service exams, which select good public servants and put in place the bureaucracy and public administration.
Experts say carrying out exam related duties such as oral test, the last step of the BCS, by poor quality examiners is sure to result in the selection of inferior quality public servants, ultimately affecting the country’s bureaucracy that is considered a key to the execution of development initiatives of the government.
The 200-mark oral examination is very important in the selection of the candidates. For instance, a candidate getting 65% marks (on average) in six subjects of the written test may not be able to get finally selected if he/she fails to get good scores in the oral test.
But a candidate with 60% marks in the written test may finally be selected in case he/she gets 90% marks in the oral examination.
The PSC offers the examiners and experts only Tk1,500 for setting question papers, moderation and conducting viva voce for the cadre posts. The examiners must be busy for up to seven hours a day — from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
The commission invites reputed university teachers, professors, vice-chancellors, retired secretaries, in-service bureaucrats not below the rank of joint secretary, noted journalists and eminent citizens for the exam related activities.
“Such eminent persons must stay at the commission up to 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm starting at 9:00 am. So, remuneration of Tk1,500 for their valuable working hours is very insufficient,” said a PSC report sent to the Public Administration Ministry last month.
The report, the Dhaka Tribune obtained, said the commission was demanding a hike of the remuneration for the experts. On February 16, the commission requested the Finance Ministry to double the package to Tk3,000. But the ministry rejected the proposal, leaving the commission to face the problem in getting quality examiners.
“So, eminent and noted experts are rejecting the commission’s offer of exam related works showing different excuses,” said the report, adding that the same experts earned up to Tk5,000 in different educational institutions spending only two to three hours.
Sampad Barua, an additional secretary who routinely serves the PSC for question setting, moderation and oral exams, agrees with the PSC’s observations.
“Many quality experts may not be interested in serving the PSC for poor package. This (Tk1,500) is really very small amount. It should be increased as the purchasing capacity of the amount is very low at present,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Inferior quality teachers having no work may be interested, he said, adding that a section of quality persons would snub the offer.
“But you will get some persons who will not look for better package. They basically go to the PSC out of their commitment for the country,” said Sampad, now posted to Bangabhaban.
