Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul will assume the financial and administrative responsibilities of the speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, as the post currently remains vacant.
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam made the announcement during a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Thursday evening.
The chief adviser’s press secretary said that from now on, Dr Asif Nazrul will oversee the financial and administrative functions of the Parliament Secretariat.
This decision follows the resignation of Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury from the office of speaker of parliament on September 2, 27 days after the Awami League government’s fall.
Her resignation was formally submitted to President Mohammed Sahabuddin.
At the same briefing, Shafiqul Alam gave updates on the advisory council’s decision on seven DU-affiliated colleges.
He said that Dhaka University would establish a new administrative structure, complete with its own registrar and other officials, to manage these colleges under a Dhaka University affiliation.
This resolution followed a meeting held earlier in the day between representatives of the protesting students and Education Adviser Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud, along with Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud.
“We are optimistic that the decision will bring the student movement to a close,” Shafiqul Alam said.
Additionally, he addressed the matter of Bangladeshi migrant workers, noting that efforts have commenced to expedite the dispatch of Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia who had faced delays.
Extension of BCS exam limits
On October 24, the advisory council had decided to limit government job candidates to a maximum of three attempts at the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) exam, while increasing the entry age from 30 to 32.
However, in a revision made on Thursday, the government raised the allowable attempts to four.
This update was also disclosed in a press release from the Cabinet Division following the advisory council meeting.
Under the revised “Bangladesh Civil Service (Examination for Age, Qualification, and Direct Recruitment) Rules, 2014,” as governed by the “Government Employment Act, 2018,” candidates can now sit the BCS exam up to four times.
The advisory council has directed the Ministry of Public Administration to implement this rule, though it remains unclear why the change was made within a week of the initial decision.
5 more reform commissions
Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan announced the formation of five new reform commissions targeting reforms in local government, health, women’s affairs, media, and labor.
She stated that these commissions are a response to growing public demands for systemic improvements, with a notification to be issued by Sunday.
She further noted the importance of these reforms ahead of the upcoming elections.
Rizwana Hasan said that there was no discussion in the meeting of the advisory council regarding the removal of the president.
Update on female footballers' salaries
On the other hand, in light of Bangladesh’s recent victory over Nepal in the Women’s SAFF Championship final, Shafiqul Alam shared promising news for the national women’s football team.
At the press briefing, he confirmed that the advisory council had discussed the team’s achievements and addressed their outstanding salaries.
The press secretary assured that steps are being taken to resolve these salary issues, which had persisted since Salahuddin’s tenure, as quickly as possible.
