Employers dictate the terms in recruitment tests for the physically-challenged people as the existing policy is fraught with flaws and complexities.
Despite completing higher education, the physically-challenged people get a raw deal during recruitment tests for both private and government jobs, say students who went through the pang of discrimination.
They are often disallowed to sit for recruitment tests. Even if they pass the written tests, they are not invited to face viva-voice.
Mohammad Hasan, a graduate in Political Science from Chittagong University, said he had applied for over 25 jobs. But he was yet to get any positive response from any of the employers despite passing the written tests.
"Some of the employers often refuse to invite visually-impaired job seekers to face viva-voice", said Md Amzad Hossain, a member of the Dhaka University unit of Physically-challenged Development Foundation (PDF).
The Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) was also not lagging far behind to turn a blind eye to their cause. It abolished a provision under which the visually-impaired applicants were allowed to take the help of any scriber from their respective institutions in any BCS (Bangladesh Civil Service) exam. But later in the face of strong opposition from rights groups, the BPSC has temporarily reversed the decision.
BPSC chairman Muhammed Sadique said, "BPSC follows a certain policy, when it comes to this section of applicants. We are working on further development of the policy to better serve the physically-challenged applicants".
The BPSC allows visually-impaired applicants to take help of scribers in any BCS examination on the condition that the scriber will not be more skilled (academically) than the applicant, the BPSC boss says.
About 100 physically-challenged applicants had applied for taking each of the three last BCS tests, said Mohammad Hasan.
According to PDF statistics, at present 67 physically-challenged students are studying at Dhaka University, 90 at Chittagong University and 70 to 75 at Jahangirnagar University.
PDF founder President Mizanur Rahman Kiron said they were working on upholding the rights of physically-challenged students in universities.
Government and non-government organisations also should come up with concrete plans to uphold the rights of this section of people, he emphasised.
In every test for hiring, the visually-impaired job seekers are faced with difficulties and obstacles created by the employers, job applicant Hasan pointed out.
Employers set the terms and conditions at will ahead of any exam date causing sufferings to the visually-impaired people, he alleged.
"We are not only deprived of necessary academic books and other related materials at the university level but also receive the same treatment while taking preparation for appearing in any competitive exams for government jobs," Hasan said with a tinge of frustration in his voice.
"Apart from this, we also suffer due to discriminatory question papers and time management," he lamented.
The way the Bangladesh Bank (BB) holds competitive examinations for the visually-impaired students is beyond their wildest dream. The BB authorities themselves engage their men as scribers for the visually-impaired students irrespective of academic qualification and skill, Hasan alleged.
Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) research specialist Adv. Rejaul Karim Siddique said, "A certain policy is needed to address the sufferings of visually-impaired applicants".
"We are working on the flaws and complexities in the existing disability welfare policy (2013) to reshape it in accordance with the global standard to uphold rights of the differently-abled people," commented Rejaul Karim Siddique, who himself is also a physically-challenged person.
In 2010 the High Court issued an order asking the government to create a 1.0 per cent quota in government jobs for physically-challenged applicants.
"We are optimistic that the HC, now in the process of delivering its full verdict, will direct the authorities to frame a policy in this connection," he said.
Social Welfare Ministry Additional Secretary Rupon Kanti Sheel said the government has sets of rules to provide all possible facilities to physically-challenged students in educational institutions as well as in exams for private and government jobs.
Besides, different government entities are working sincerely to help the handicapped people enjoy their all due rights, he added.
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