PSC faces questions over Chief Instructor recruitment

Candidates have raised concerns over the experience verification process for Chief Instructor (6th grade) recruitment at government polytechnic institutes and Technical Schools and Colleges (TSC). Even with similar experience, one group of applicants was allowed to sit for the oral exam while another was not, they alleged. The excluded candidates have demanded their right to oral examination. Earlier, a court order following a writ petition granted 36 applicants from a 2023 notification the opportunity for oral exams across 9 categories.

PSC claims it consulted the relevant directorate after the initial notification. The directorate recommended excluding private sector experience certificates, leading to that exclusion. The 36 granted a fresh chance were under court order, PSC said. "We sought the Law Adviser's opinion after the directive and conducted their exams accordingly," said Unit-9 Director Mohammad Rafiqul Islam to The Daily Campus.

The 2021 notification for 226 Chief Instructor posts allocated 25 for polytechnics and 201 for TSCs. It required a B.Sc in Engineering or B.Sc in Technical Education plus specific experience: three years teaching and five years professional for polytechnics, or three years teaching in relevant institutions plus five years total for TSCs. However, the notice did not specify whether government or private sector experience was required.

After applications, PSC published eligible/ineligible lists on 13 April 2023 and announced oral exams. Analysis showed most were deemed ineligible due to insufficient experience, private sector certificates not accepted, project-based or temporary revenue department work, or lack of government institution experience – excluding over 2,300 applicants.

On 9 May 2023, PSC recommended only four candidates across three categories. Disgruntled applicants filed a writ in the High Court in 2023, claiming injustice. The hearing revealed prior candidates with project-based experience had been recommended in some categories.

Following the court order, PSC issued a new notice on 13 November 2023, allowing 36 applicants across 9 categories to retake oral exams. Verification of their roll numbers shows all were initially disqualified for the same reasons as others.

The decision has sparked controversy. Stakeholders argue it's discriminatory to give oral exam chances to one group with similar experience while denying others. "We were all rejected for project, private, or temporary experience. Now the same is accepted for some – how is that fair? Such double standards from a constitutional body are unacceptable," one excluded applicant said.

Another added: "PSC rejected us citing the 2022 Public Administration Ministry gazette that project experience doesn't count for 6th grade and above. Now accepting the same for others is injustice. This erodes trust in the institution."

PSC Chairman Prof Mobasher Monem told The Daily Campus: "I am unaware of the allegations regarding experience certificates for Chief Instructor recruitment. We need to investigate the matter."