Dhaka: The interim government has undertaken a significant initiative to address the promotion deadlock and professional stagnation within the General Education Cadre of the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS). The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Education to establish 6,921 ‘supernumerary’ posts for officers from the 21st to the 35th BCS batches.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the initiative is part of a broader administrative reform aimed at addressing long-standing deprivation among officers and enhancing the dynamism of education management. Recently, the Director General of DSHE forwarded a summary of the proposal to the Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division within the Ministry of Education.
Professor BM Abdul Hannan, Director General (Additional Charge) of DSHE, confirmed to BSS that the proposal was sent on January 20 at the Ministry of Education’s request. The Secondary and Higher Education Division will review the proposal and forward it to the Ministry of Public Administration. Upon further evaluation, the Ministry of Public Administration will submit it to the Expenditure Management Wing of the Finance Division for final approval. Subsequently, an order for creating the supernumerary posts will be issued by the Ministry of Public Administration.
The Director General explained that the creation of these posts would not impose a significant additional financial burden on the government, as most officers have reached the final stages of their pay scales. In a January 20 letter to the Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, DSHE proposed batch-wise creation of posts for both currently promoted officers and those eligible for promotion.
A senior official of the Secondary and Higher Education Division stated that the government’s primary goal is to eliminate all forms of discrimination and develop a modern, professional education cadre. The Ministry of Education will examine the revised proposal from DSHE, send it to the Ministry of Public Administration, and, after receiving final approval from the Ministry of Finance, the necessary order will be issued.
The DSHE proposal outlines the creation of 6,921 supernumerary posts across three levels: 2,298 at the Professor level, 2,752 at the Associate Professor level, and 1,871 at the Assistant Professor level. The batch-wise promotion framework suggests creating supernumerary posts for professors from the 21st to 24th BCS batches, associate professors from the 24th to 30th BCS batches, and assistant professors from the 32nd to 35th BCS batches.
A ‘supernumerary’ or ‘additional’ post is a special arrangement allowing eligible officers to be promoted based on seniority when no regular vacancy exists. These officers remain at the same workplace or are posted elsewhere, and the post is automatically abolished once the officer retires or the position becomes vacant.
In its proposal, DSHE highlighted that approximately 7,994 officers in the Education Cadre are currently eligible for promotion, including 2,926 at the Assistant Professor level, 3,553 at the Associate Professor level, and 2,298 awaiting promotion to the Professor level. The lack of available posts has deprived many officers of promotion opportunities, particularly from Lecturer to Assistant Professor, causing mental and social frustration and decreasing motivation, which negatively impacts educational activities.
DSHE also noted that the absence of sufficient higher-level posts has resulted in many Education Cadre officers retiring from the Associate Professor level. While officers in other civil service cadres receive timely promotions, the Education Cadre faces pronounced deprivation.
The proposal states that the Education Cadre currently has 19,868 sanctioned posts, with 9,782 at the Lecturer level and 4,451 at the Assistant Professor level, allowing only 4,451 lecturers the opportunity for promotion. The remaining officers lack first-stage promotion opportunities, with only 2,268 posts available for Associate Professors and 528 for Professors.
Senior professors within the Education Cadre informed BSS that this initiative marks the first time supernumerary posts are being created, potentially easing the path to higher positions and invigorating education management. Once established, officers will enjoy the status and financial benefits associated with their promoted roles.
Professor Dr. Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel, Convener of the BCS General Education Association, emphasized the need for these posts to resolve promotion deadlocks and ensure higher education quality. He commended the government for initiating the creation of nearly 7,000 supernumerary posts and expressed hope that this would restore organizational discipline.