Committee to look into entry age bar for govt jobs

The government has formed a two-member committee to review the entry age limit for government jobs in response to demands from job seekers, who staged a protest in front of the caretaker adviser's official residence in the city on Monday.

Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, former secretary and advisor to the caretaker government, was made the convenor of the committee while the senior secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration (MoPA) has been appointed as the committee's member secretary, according to a notification from MoPA.

The committee will recommend a logical age limit for government jobs after thoroughly examining all relevant aspects, according to the notification. The members have been asked to submit their report within seven days.

Students and job seekers have been demanding an extension of the job entry age for public service from 30 to 35.

UNB adds: Earlier in the day, police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of job seekers who gathered in front of the residence of the Chief Adviser in Dhaka's Ramna Park area.

Demanding that the maximum age for entering government service be raised to 35, the demonstrators staged a sit-in protest, which led to clashes with the security forces.

Witnesses reported that the protest started at around 1:45pm when a large group of young people attempted to gather in front of the Chief Adviser's residence. As they moved towards the gate of the Jamuna residence, police blocked their path, triggering a confrontation.

The situation quickly escalated when officers resorted to tear gas and baton-charge to break up the gathering.

The demand to raise the age limit for government job applicants has been a growing point of contention, with many arguing that the current age cap of 30 is too restrictive given the increased competition and delays in education due to various factors.

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