Govt planning to take classes one day a week initially: Nowfel

The Ministry of Education is planning to take classes one day a week after the reopening of schools and colleges on September 12, said Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel on Saturday.

Nowfel said this while talking to journalists after attending a function at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital.

"We're hopeful of starting physical classes following the Education Minister's announcement and our primary plan is to take classes one day a week but it may be changed," he said.  

Efforts will continue to take the SSC and HSC exams through in-person presence with a brief syllabus but the assignment works will continue as before, he said.  

The long closure of schools and colleges due to the Covid-19 pandemic has created mental pressure on the students and there had been efforts to continue education online but that was not enough, Nowfel added.

Bangladesh ready to reopen schools

Primary, secondary and higher secondary educational institutions in the country will reopen on September 12 following a prolonged closure, said Education Minister Dipu Moni on Friday.  

"The decision was taken at a joint meeting of the Education Ministry, Ministry of Primary and Mass education and the National Technical Advisory Committee held on Thursday night," she said at a function in Chandpur sadar upazila.

 "Hopefully, we'll be able to reopen all the schools, colleges, including madrasas, on September 12 as per the decision," Dipu Moni said.

The government shut the educational institutions on March 17, 2020 after the country reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8. Then the closure was extended several times, most recently until September 11.

The pandemic-related school closures in the country affected about 38 million students though the government introduced TV-based learning programmes for them.