Gulam Rabbani :
More than one year and two months have passed since the closure of all the educational institutions across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. But nobody knows when the educational institutions will reopen.
This long closure of the educational institutions has thrown the future of the students into a big crisis. A large number of primary and secondary students have already gone out of education life, but mobile phone addiction has been undoing them.
Many schools, colleges and universities are taking classes and exams through online process. But students and their guardians think that online classes are not an alternative to regular classes. Again, in our society, many primary and secondary level students do not have the devices to participate in the online classes. As a result, that part is also deprived of online classes.
Some guardians have alleged that schools’ authorities have kept the classes open through online process only to collect the tuition fees. Basically the students are not getting much benefit from those classes.
Arshi Mohiuddin is a grade one student of Siddheswari Girls High School in the capital city. In addition to her studies, she could meet her friends regularly at school and occasionally played with them. But she has been deprived of those opportunities for more than a year.
Arshi has become addicted slightly to mobile phone as she has been under house arrest for a long time, said her father Mohiuddin Kader suggesting that the authorities should allow the students to go to school at least once a week in accordance with health guidelines.
This is not only a problem for the primary level students, but also a problem for the secondary and higher secondary level students.
Jannatul Sadia, an HSC examinee from BPATC School and College in Savar, said that she is under severe mental pressure due to uncertainty about the examinations.
“Teachers are holding online classes, but many topics are difficult to understand through this process. I have partially studied many topics from my textbooks at home to prepare myself for examinations. I cannot comprehend many of the topics of the short syllabus given by the education board,” she said.
Khandaker Raikibul Hasan, a faculty member of Geography department of Muminunnisa Government Women’s College in Mymensingh, said, “Secondary and higher secondary students are using mobile phones for online classes. They are getting addicted to mobile phone games as they have no other job other than online classes.” “Outside the regular classes, students usually also take classes with private teachers. They are also being deprived of it now due to lockdown,” also said Rakibul adding that there is no alternative to regular classes and examinations to overcome the situation.
Hossain Golam Jakir, an assistant teacher of Lawra Government Primary School in Austagram upazila under Kishoreganj district, said, “The government is taking a number of steps including training the teachers to take online class. But many of the students and their parents in villages and sub-urban areas do not have the technical knowledge, the appropriate device and even the ability to buy a device and to join an online class.”
If the classes are started in accordance with the health guidelines, the students will be benefited more, added the teacher.
In a press briefing held on February 22 this year Education Minister Dipu Moni said, all universities will reopen on May 24, after Eid-ul-Fitr and all halls of the university will reopen on May 17.
Dipu Moni also said that all students, teachers and employees of the public universities will be vaccinated before resuming classes. No examination will be held before universities reopen, but online classes will continue, she added.
But almost three months have already elapsed since the announcement, the students have not yet been vaccinated.
In the meantime, the government has extended the ongoing closure of secondary and higher secondary educational institutes till 29 May. It is learned that the opening date of the residential halls and the universities may be further delayed considering the corona vaccination activities.
Meanwhile, the public universities are going to face a big session jam as those have been closed for 14 months. Even though the online classes are going on, the teachers and students have lost their rhythm due to lack of regular classes and examinations.
