PM's Advisor Zahed calls BCS craze a ‘social disease’, urges perk cuts to curb obsession

The pursuit of a cadre service job is consuming the most productive years of the younger generation, he says

The Prime Minister’s Advisor on Policy and Strategy Zahed Ur Rahman has characterised the overwhelming craze among the youth for the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) as a "social disease".

To curb this trend, he suggested that the government should consider reducing the facilities and privileges enjoyed by BCS cadres.

The advisor made the remarks on Monday during the unveiling of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) reform report at the Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.

Participating in a panel discussion, Zahed expressed concern over how the pursuit of a cadre service job is consuming the most productive years of the younger generation.

He said many students begin studying BCS guidebooks as early as their first year of university, neglecting their core academic subjects.

This obsession, he warned, leads to deep "frustration" if they fail to secure a position before the age limit for government jobs expires.

"The most productive time of our youth is being eaten up by the BCS. We must recover from this disease," he said.

Drawing on his experience as a member of BCS viva boards, the advisor highlighted a persistent trend where individuals already in stable or lucrative positions -- including those at the central bank or existing BCS cadres -- repeatedly sit for the exams to switch to specific "lucrative" cadres.

"Someone is already doing a good job or is already in a cadre, but they keep appearing for the exams as long as they have the age. I don't think they contribute much to their current positions during this time," he said.

He also observed that many candidates, despite their obsession with the civil service exams, struggle to answer basic questions related to their own undergraduate majors during the oral examinations.

The advisor argued that the current structure of benefits makes the civil service disproportionately attractive compared with other sectors, fuelling this "unhealthy" competition.

He suggested that rebalancing these perks is necessary to redirect the youth toward more diverse and productive career paths.