Job seekers rally for increasing age limit

Several hundred job seekers under the banner of Chakri Pratyashi Shikkharti Samanway Parishad went out on demonstrations at Shahbgh in Dhaka demanding to extend the age limit for recruiting in public service to 35 years.

There is a growing demand for extending the age limit to 35 years.

The protesters said that Bangladesh has been moving forward to become a Smart Bangladesh. Smart Bangladesh needs a smart and equal job market for all, they said. They alleged that the age limit for entering jobs is discriminatory.

The age limit for Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) is 30 years and its 32 years for Bangladesh Judicial Service (BJS). It is 35 years for nursing jobs in government hospitals and 35 years for private schools/colleges, they said citing that more than 162 countries in the world have the age limit of 35 years while it is open in some countries.

The age limit for joining any job in India is 35-45 years, it is 45 years in the Maldives, 35 years in Sri Lanka, 35 years in Nepal, and 35 years in Afghanistan, they added. They voiced for lowering the job application fee to a maximum Tk 200 and increasing the age limit for retirement.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Public Administration recommended increasing the age limit to 35 years, but it is yet to be implemented, they said.