Published : 06 Aug 2023, 02:00 AM
Updated : 06 Aug 2023, 02:12 AM
A recent government guideline has blocked Bangladesh civil service officials from securing a second Master’s degree abroad.
Instead, the revised policy on training and higher studies will allow officials to enrol in local universities or higher education institutions for a second Master’s or equivalent degree.
The new guidelines, which have replaced the previous training policy and rules issued in notices, also set the period of study leave and the fields in which civil servants can pursue higher studies abroad.
Government employees get the opportunity to pursue higher education in the country and abroad to enhance and acquire professional skills and educational qualifications.
Postgraduate diplomas, Master’s, MPhil and PhD degrees are generally considered higher education.
“New fields have been included in the guidelines in light of current reality. New demands have popped up after the old policy was made. Many are also doing online courses for the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Additional Secretary Md Shahidullah, the head of the public administration ministry’s career planning and training wing, and one of the members of the panel who had worked on to develop the new guidelines.
“There was a time when a civil service officer would have been allowed to pursue a complete postgraduate education, which includes a Master’s and a PhD degree, with full rides. Some of them were even allowed to do two Master’s degrees. But pursuing higher education requires time, the time which could have added more value for the taxpayers if the respective civil service officer was working instead.”
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW POLICY
- A civil service officer will get a posting on deputation while pursuing Master’s and PhD studies abroad.
- A Master’s degree and an MPhil degree will be considered equivalent.
- A civil service officer must complete Master’s or MPhil studies within three years. The PhD degree should be completed within a maximum of five years.
- Maximum age limit for applying for a postgraduate diploma, Master’s, MPhil, PhD is 45 years. The age limit is 50 years to pursue in-service training, and in the case of post-doctoral research and fellowship, the age limit is 54 years.
- The upper age limit for participating in short-term courses up to four weeks abroad will be 57 years, 55 years for training above four weeks and up to three months, and 55 years for long-term training above three months and up to one year.
- If a civil service officer fails to complete his education abroad without valid reasons, the concerned government department will seek a portion of the salaries and grants issued during the deputation period back.
- With necessary permission, a civil service officer will only be allowed to pursue higher education abroad only once in his/her career.
- As per the policy, each ministry is now required to set up at least one separate division for training and human resource development work.
- Government institutions will be required to formulate their own training programmes based on the training needs of government departments, autonomous bodies, semi-government bodies or constitutional bodies. A list of issues to be considered in these training programs has also been determined.
