Bangladesh suspends banking job tests amid surge in virus cases

Bangladesh Bank has suspended recruitment tests for senior officer posts at five state-owned banks and two corporations amid a surge in coronavirus infections and deaths.

The central bank announced the decision to postpone the tests in a notice on Saturday citing “inevitable” reasons.

“But everyone knows that it is impossible to hold such a large test amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Arief Hossain Khan, a general manager of the central bank and member secretary of the Bankers’ Selection Committee. 

The one-hour Multiple Choice Question tests were scheduled to be held in 67 centres in Dhaka from 10am on Dec 5.

As many as 140,155 candidates registered for the tests for 771 posts.

Khan said a new date for the exams will be announced after the situation normalises.

The seven organisations where the tests have been suspended are Sonali Bank, Janata Bank, Rupali Bank, Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank, Karmasangsthan Bank, Bangladesh House Building Finance Corporation and the Investment Corporation of Bangladesh.

 The government on Saturday logged 36 new virus deaths in 24 hours, raising the toll to 6,580. The number of cases rose by 1,908 to 460,619 in the same period. With the latest deaths, the toll saw a 30 percent weekly rise.