CU Correspondent
The Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CUCSU) formed a human chain on campus on Wednesday, September 9, protesting the government’s decision to increase viva voce marks for recruitment in grades 11 to 20 of public service.
The demonstration took place in front of the university’s Shahid Minar, drawing student union leaders and general learners who raised sharp slogans demanding an end to political favoritism in employment. Protesters chanted slogans equating higher viva marks to a re-emerging quota system, warning against potential nepotism, bribery, and farce in recruitment tests.
Addressing the gathering, CUCSU Assistant Office Secretary Jannatul Adon cautioned that inflating viva marks systematically enables corruption, political bias, and regional influence, effectively replacing previous quota disparities with interview-based discrimination. He voiced concerns that excessive weighting on viva limits fair candidate evaluation and opens avenues for bribery, urging authorities to revoke the decision immediately.
CUCSU Vice President Ibrahim Roni criticized the policy shift as a move toward partisan recruitment, comparing it to earlier administrative trends. He alleged that while recruitment reforms had been initiated during the interim administration, the current political direction risks reviving partisan favoritism by manipulating interview weightings. Ibrahim Roni also cited broader administrative replacements across institutions as attempts to serve partisan interests rather than merit, demanding that policymakers abandon biased policies and ensure merit-based appointments across all government posts.