The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways on Tuesday stressed the need for creating skilled boatmen (masters and drivers) to prevent accidents on inland waterways.
For this purpose, the civic organisation called for stopping all irregularities and corruption in mastership and drivership examinations and reform the examination system.
Mohammad Shahid Mia, the president of the organisation, and its general secretary Ashis Kumar Dey issued a statement in this regard.
For the sake of transparency, accountability, efficiency and acceptability, they recommended the formation of an independent examination board comprising with experts from various organisations, including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Bangladesh Marine Academy.
Stating that the current qualification test system of boatmen is not acceptable at all, the NCPSRR leaders said the two chairmen of the mastership and drivership examination board are officers of the Department of Shipping.
Both the board members also work in the same organisation. They prepare the question papers, take the written and oral tests and evaluate the answer sheets of written examination and issue certificates.
The statement added that the written test of only 20 marks for both mastership and drivership consists of 20 short type questions and answers are to be answered by tick marks on the question paper.
It is not possible at all to determine the efficiency and competency of a boatman in this process.
Citing the news published in various media, the leaders of the national committee alleged that due to the sole authority of the shipping directorate, there is rampant irregularities and corruption in the examination.
Candidates are making illegal money transactions through brokers before every exam. As a result, most of the passed candidates are ineligible, it said.
The statement also alleged that some members of the two individual examination boards, including the two chairmen, were involved in this immoral act.
