Diploma Engineers Gain BCS Cadre Equivalence with HSC Qualifications
BSc engineers have raised serious concerns over what they describe as unfair treatment in the engineering profession, alleging that diploma holders, with qualifications equivalent to Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC), are receiving the same status, salary, and benefits as Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) cadres. This practice, they claim, creates significant disparities within the engineering sector, undermining the merit and rigor associated with their qualifications.
BSc engineers argue that diploma engineers, after completing a four-year course at polytechnic institutes following SSC or equivalent exams, secure direct appointments at the 10th grade. With just five years of service, these diploma holders are easily promoted to the 9th grade, a level traditionally reserved for assistant engineers who pass the rigorous BCS examination. In contrast, BSc engineers must complete HSC, clear highly competitive university entrance exams, and study for four to five years to earn their degree, followed by passing the BCS exam to attain the same 9th-grade position. “Diploma holders with only HSC-equivalent qualifications are being granted the same prestige as BCS cadres, which is unjust and devalues the engineering profession,” said Shakil Ahmed Iqbal, a student from Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology’s 16th batch. He added that diploma engineers, previously employed as technicians, supervisors, surveyors, draftsmen, or machine operators, are now occupying engineering roles through lobbying and protests, sidelining BSc engineers.
Md. Sakibul Haque Lipu, General Secretary of the Engineer Rights Movement, told The Daily Campus, “Without appearing for BCS prelims, written exams, or viva, diploma holders are becoming BCS cadres through promotions in departments like Public Works, Roads and Highways, Railways, Technical Education, and Public Health Engineering.” He further noted that when job circulars specify BSc engineers for 9th-grade assistant engineer posts, diploma holders file lawsuits to secure promotions, leading to stalled recruitment processes. Institutions, unable to hire BSc engineers, often assign diploma holders acting or temporary roles, perpetuating irregularities that Lipu demands must end.
In response, Sakhawat Hossain, Member-Secretary of the Interim Committee of the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB), refuted claims that diploma holders are wrongly appointed as BCS cadres. He accused engineering university students of “fishing in troubled waters,” asserting that diploma engineers receive promotions in accordance with rules and regulations. “The difference between us and BSc engineers is just one grade. Promotion is our right, and in many cases, we are deprived. We need 100% promotion to end this deprivation,” Hossain said. He also dismissed allegations of blocking posts through lawsuits, stating that some candidates, frustrated by delayed promotions, approach courts, and the judiciary’s rulings are final. “There’s no deliberate attempt to block posts. Engineering university students are trying to create instability over a settled issue, and we strongly condemn such actions,” he added.
The controversy has fueled protests, including the recent BUET-led “Long March to Dhaka,” where students clashed with police, highlighting their demands for reforms to address these disparities. The government’s newly formed committee, chaired by Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan, is tasked with reviewing these issues and submitting recommendations within a month, signaling potential steps toward resolution.
