The government on Sunday decided to reopen all types of educational institutions from primary to higher secondary levels on September 12 after the institutions remained closed for more than 17 months due to the Covid outbreak in Bangladesh.

From September 12, in-person classes would be held every day of the week for the candidates of the Secondary School Certificate, Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent examinations for the 2021 and 2022 academic years and for the Class V students.

 
The classes from Class I to Class IX, except Class V, would be held a day each week while the number of in-person classes would be increased if the coronavirus situation improves.

Education minister Dipu Moni announced the decisions after an inter-ministerial meeting held at the Cabinet Division in the Bangladesh Secretariat earlier on the day.

The meeting was also attended by agriculture minister Abdur Razzaque, local government, rural development and cooperatives minister Md Tajul Islam, health minister Zahid Maleque, state minister for primary and mass education Md Zakir Hossain, state minister for youth and sports Zahid Ahsan Russel, deputy education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury and Cabinet Division secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam.

Since March 18, 2020, the classroom activities of the educational institutions across the country have remained closed due to the Covid situation, which are scheduled to be shut till September 11 after several extensions of the closure.

At a press briefing after the meeting, Dipu Moni said that the closure of educational institutions had left a great impact on keeping the rate of infection lower.

‘Now we’re seeing that the infection is rapidly decreasing while in 2020 the infection also decreased during November and December,’ she said, adding that all preparations to reopen the educational institutions would be completed by September 9.

Wearing masks by everybody will be mandatory in all the educational institutions while the teachers will keep an eye on the students, especially the tender ones, to see if anyone has any problem, she said.

The teachers would check all students — for their temperature and other symptoms — daily while she urged the guardians for not sending any student to any educational institution if the student or any other member of their home has Covid symptoms.

‘We all know that in our country many students are seated in each class on a little space,’ she said. ‘The educational institutions may take classes by dividing each class into two or three sections.’

As the SSC and HSC examinees are taking preparations based on short syllabuses so if their in-person classes are completed within the next few weeks, then the classes of IX and XI will be held every day of the week, she said.

‘The in-person classes may be held for 4 hours a day,’ she said, adding that if everything goes well the number of classes and hours of classes for the other students would be increased gradually.

Dipu Moni said that the government was also prepared for holding the Junior School Certificate, Primary Education Completion and equivalent examinations.

The annual examinations of all other classes will be held if the situation favours and the SSC and HSC examinations could be held, she said further.

The ministry has already prepared a Daily Mandatory Check List which would be sent, after it is completed, from each educational institution to the ministries concerned online, she also said.

‘If we see that there is any possibility of increase in infections in any institution we’ll take necessary steps like closing that institution,’ she said.

Dipu Moni made it clear that the students would enter and leave the educational institutions in files to maintain social distancing, adding that necessary devices would be kept in the institutions to measure temperature and wash hands while all above 12 years would be vaccinated.

‘No assemblies will be held, but teachers will take physical exercise classes of the students to keep them physically and mentally fit,’ she added.

About the reopening of the universities, the education minister said that they were likely to meet all vice-chancellors in the next week to have a further discussion on the matter.

The decision to reopen the educational institutions came after prime minister and leader of the house Sheikh Hasina on Thursday told the parliament that measures were being taken to reopen the schools and colleges soon.

Later on Friday, the education minister said that all educational institutions from primary to higher secondary levels would be reopened on September 12.

According to a UNICEF report, published on August 24, Bangladesh had the second-longest Covid school closure in the world.