News Desk :
The education authorities have issued some guidelines as part of preparations to reopen educational institutions which have remained closed since March last year due to Covid pandemic.
The teachers of primary schools have been instructed to return to their work places from Tuesday. Besides, the Directorate of Primary Education asked the upazila and thana education officers to inspect the schools under their jurisdiction within a week.
The authorities concerned also gave instructions to keep the institutions clean and tidy by taking utmost care to prevent dengue, reports news agency UNB.
The primary school authorities were instructed to prepare their wash block accordingly.
Apart from that, the Directorate of Secondary & Higher Education (DSHE) has asked the regional directors to take necessary preparations to reopen schools and colleges.
According to education ministry sources, most of the teachers and staffers of the educational institutions have been vaccinated. Meanwhile, sources within the University Grants Commission (UGC) claimed that around 80 per cent students of Dhaka University have been vaccinated.
However schools and other educational institutions would reopen only after the covid positivity rate comes below 5 per cent, said a source of the education ministry.
In that case, the closure of schools might be extended again.
Professor Shahedul Kabir Chowdhury, director of DSHE, said the regional directors were asked to inspect and submit a report on the final preparations on resuming academic activities at educational institutions.
Director general of the Directorate of Primary Education, Alamgir Md Mansurul Alam said teachers have been told to return to schools.
“We also instructed our officials to visit respective educational institutions and submit a report on preparations to reopen. Failure to do so will result in administrative actions, “he added.
UNB adds: State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Zakir Hossain said schools, closed since March last year due to Covid-19 pandemic, will be reopened after getting directives from the highest level of the government.
“We can’t reopen the schools suddenly. We have taken all-out preparations and if the Prime Minister orders us today we are prepared to reopen schools from tomorrow,” he toldreporters at the Secretariat.
Zakir said experts favour reopening of schools as the students are out of classes for the past one and half years.
“We also face problems in online,” he said.
He said teachers are going to the schools and taking classes online. The students are studying despite the closure of the schools and theyare also given worksheets.
“If the government decides to reopen schools, then the classes of the primary students will be taken in two segments. We have a plan to take two-day classes in a week for the students of class III, IV and V while the class I students will be allowed for one day in a week. We are also thinking about giving a short syllabus under our curriculum,” he said.
Referring to the Primary Education Completion (PEC) and its equivalent examinations the minister said “The decision whether the PEC and its equivalent examinations will be done on physical or evaluation basis, will be taken considering the situation. If the situation persists, we will go for an evaluation like last year.”
