Officers entering the civil service at an older age may have a shorter effective period of service: Establishment Division
The recommendation to increase the upper age limit and the number of attempts for the CSS examination has been rejected.
The Establishment Division has decided to retain the existing age limit of 30 years for the CSS examination.
A subcommittee of the Standing Committee had recommended increasing the maximum age for appearing in the CSS examination from 30 to 35 years.
The Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat had also recommended increasing the number of attempts to appear in the examination from three to five. The Establishment Division declared the recommendations of the subcommittee of the Standing Committee impractical.
The Establishment Division has also conveyed its written position on the policy regarding the CSS examination to the parliamentary committee.
The Establishment Division maintained that increasing the age limit or the number of attempts falls within the policy-making authority of the federal government, while the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) implements the policy approved by the federal government. At its 174th meeting, the FPSC decided to retain the existing policy.
The letter stated that increasing the age limit could lead to a significant increase in the number of CSS examination candidates. The increase in candidates would add to the burden of conducting the examination and checking papers. Providing more chances could cause candidates to waste their productive years by repeatedly appearing for the examination. Officers entering the civil service at an older age may have a shorter effective period of service, while the long-term availability of experienced officers for senior positions could also be affected.
According to the Establishment Division, there is also a concern that the long-term availability of experienced officers for senior positions could be affected. Increasing the age limit could benefit candidates who can afford the financial burden of preparing for a longer period. Raising the age limit would result in the state receiving the services of officers for a shorter period, while several officers could take up field assignments at the age of 37 to 38.
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