The joining date for officers appointed to different cadres of the Bangladesh Civil Service through the 43rd BCS examination has been postponed. The Ministry of Public Administration announced the decision in a gazette issued on Monday evening. The delay has caused anxiety among successful candidates, as the joining schedule has been pushed back by around one and a half months.

According to the gazette, the joining date for officers recruited through the 43rd BCS has been shifted from 17 November to 1 January. Earlier, on 15 October, the Ministry published the gazette appointing 2,064 candidates selected through the 43rd BCS.

Several successful candidates, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the gazette was issued nearly 10 months after the Public Service Commission (PSC) made its recommendations. They said many candidates had been hopeful after finally receiving a joining date and had made plans for starting their careers. The sudden postponement has increased their worries, with fears that further complications could arise. They also questioned why the joining date was announced only to be delayed again.

Another candidate said that 99 recommended candidates were dropped between the PSC recommendation and the publication of the gazette, which he described as deeply discouraging. He added that delaying the joining date again has raised concerns that more names could be excluded, which would be extremely unfair. Referring to past practices, he said the removal of names from gazettes was common under previous governments and alleged that the trend still continues. He urged the current government to move away from such practices and ensure fairness after years of examinations and evaluations.

Two officials from the Ministry of Public Administration declined to comment on the reasons behind the delay. One official, speaking anonymously, said the decision falls under the government’s authority and that the government can change joining dates if necessary. When asked whether candidates should be worried, the official said there was no reason to assume the decision would have negative consequences and that it could even turn out to be beneficial.

The PSC had recommended 2,163 candidates for cadre positions from the 43rd BCS on 26 December. The gazette was published 10 months later, excluding 99 candidates. Among the 2,064 appointed officers, 293 were selected for the administration cadre, 25 for foreign service, and 96 for the police cadre. The circular for the 43rd BCS examination was originally issued on 30 November 2020.