Students these days can finish their undergraduate-level education at public universities in Bangladesh in four years but some of them may have to wait another four years before they are offered a job by Rupali Bank.

That is exactly what is happening to thousands of jobseekers who have been waiting for a long time for the final result of the recruiting test for officer post to be published by the state-run lender.

Even seven months have passed since the viva took place and the results have not yet been made public, much to the agony of the candidates.

"Why did it take four years to complete a recruitment process?" asked an applicant, who studied statistics at the University of Dhaka.

"It should not take seven months after the viva. We are passing days in despair."

The Bankers' Selection Committee (BSC) was formed in September 2015 to hire officials for state-owned banks and financial institutions.

It was hoped that this would speed up the process for banks, as the committee would be responsible to carry out the whole procedure and banks would only make a requisition for new employees.

The hiring had not gained momentum in the first two years after the formation of the BSC and the fate of at least three million jobseekers were hanging in balance at one point.

The recruitment has gained some pace in the last two years. Still, the hopefuls seeking to fulfil the positions of officers at Rupali Bank have been facing unprecedented delays.

The circular against 736 posts at the bank was published on August 3, 2016, and the last date for application was August 23.

More than 60,000 candidates applied, according to the BCS and the hopefuls.

The preliminary test took place on November 13, 2019, three years after the circular. Some 10,119 applicants passed. The written test ended on December 26, with 2,465 candidates making it to the viva.

The final job interview started on January 5 this year and concluded on February 12.

Another applicant who earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the Jagannath University said despite the coronavirus pandemic, everything has been running as usual for the last three months but the results were not published.

"We have been in touch with the BSC since the middle of March. It has been saying repeatedly that the result will be published this week and that week, but their week never finished."

"Even the BSC said that it would be done after Eid. One and a half months have passed since Eid," he said.

An applicant who secured a bachelor's degree from a college under the National University said the authorities do not seem to understand how important a job is for an applicant.

He said all the job circulars issued in 2016 and 2017 published their final results.

"Even after Rupali Bank's circular for officer posts, many tests have taken place and the hiring has been completed. Many have joined their workplaces."

According to the applicants, the results of the recruitment for the post of officers at Probashi Kallyan Bank and the senior officer of Rupali Bank have been published.

When contacted, Arif Hossain Khan, a general manager of the Bangladesh Bank and the member secretary of the BSC, said the test could not be held in the first three years due to lawsuits.

The test took place at the end of last year and the viva was over in February. "But due to the lockdowns and the coronavirus pandemic, it was delayed," Khan said. 

He said the result of the senior officer post of Rupali Bank was published earlier because had the results of the officer positions been made public, the candidates selected for both posts would go for the superior posts.

"We will ask the candidates to have patience. The results will be published within this month."

The writer is a freelance journalist.