Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the government has no plan to extend the 30-year age limit for entering public service.

“The age limit for job is 30 years. There’s doubt whether one remains young anymore after crossing 30,” she told Parliament replying to a supplementary question from Jatiya Party MP Nurul Islam Omar (Bogra-6).

There was a time when one would hardly remain eligible to have a bridegroom after exceeding 30 years of age, but the situation has now changed, the Prime Minister said.

“If anyone pursues one’s study regularly, it doesn’t take more than 24-25 years (for the student) to complete Master’s degree,” she said adding that the government has removed session jams from the country’s educational institutions.

Hasina said now a student passes the SSC examination at the age of 15-16 years, while HSC in 17-18 years, and completes Honours degree within 22 years and Master’s degree within 23 years. “So, one has a plenty of time to enter a job.”

“If the age-limit is extended further from 30 years, the jobs will no longer be for young rather middle-age people. You (Nurul Islam Omar MP) can ask whether there will be jobs for the middle-age people, though we all think ourselves young till 70 years….,” she quipped.

“We don’t have any such plan. We want the students enter the job pursuing their study regularly so that we can exploit the strength and merit of the young generation for building the nation,” the Prime Minister said. UNB