Quota-Merit Interface in Bangladesh Civil Service Recruitment: Need for Change and Reform

Abstract

The Civil Service in every state is responsible for execution of essential state policies and action plans, and is thus the backbone of its government. It is the executive arm of the government. Meritocratic recruitment practices are correlated with the effectiveness of the Civil Service. As a result, quotas in the recruitment process in the Civil Service have become a matter of question. The present article deals with the quota policy in Bangladesh for direct recruitment to the civil service, especially the cadre services called the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS). It also deals with how far this policy is consistent with the principle of equality in job opportunity and efficiency. This article finds that a sound recruitment policy for civil service does not exist in Bangladesh. A sound recruitment policy would place emphasis on merit rather than any other considerations. However, in recruitment to the civil service of Bangladesh, merit is not given due importance. A majority of civil service posts are reserved for preferred groups through quotas. The article makes recommendations to abolish this situation in order to create equality in job opportunities with efficiency for better governance in the country.