A callback to remote work and classes?

A Dhaka Court lawyer, Fuad Hassan, assumed there would be political clashes in Dhaka on 28 October amid the BNP-led mass rally, but would be limited around the Naya Paltan area. Or so he thought. 

He asked his colleagues to be at their law firm, located in Kakrail, according to their regular schedule.

But on arrival, his associates found themselves in the middle of a fierce clash between law enforcement personnel and ruling party activists on one side, and opposition political activists on the other, right in front of their office. 

The fog from the tear shell detained the associates outside for some time. Those already inside experienced the horrors of street politics - for many, the first time in their life.

"The day was a weekend. From our homes, we can easily complete our desk-based work, including responding to emails and filing legal documents online. If we worked remotely that day, we would not have experienced such trauma," Fuad recently told The Business Standard. 

In Bangladesh, the idea of remote work became very popular during the Covid-19 pandemic, in line with its global rise. 

The practice of working from home has reemerged at some non-government entities, particularly educational institutions, amid the ongoing political protests, including country-wide blockades and strikes. It is a result of people's concern over safety and security, at a time when news of torched transport vehicles surface almost daily - the likes of what happened in 2014. 

From 28 October to November 16, at least 171 vehicles, mostly public buses in Dhaka, were set on fire. Identifying the perpetrators remains a matter of investigation, but the attacks send a clear warning message to common people - limit your movement on the streets. 

Although there is no official data about how many institutions and organisations currently practice work-from-home mandates, this TBS correspondent reached out to some employees who have reverted to this policy. 

Initially, after the opposition BNP resumed the country-wide blockade, two buses of the Green University of Bangladesh were torched, compelling the university authority to shift to remote work. This step was inevitable because everybody at the university, including faculty members and students, have to use buses to access their campus located in Purbachal, Naryanganj. It's around 31km north-east of the centre of Dhaka. 

A faculty at the university said on 17 November that Green University students were taking part in classes and course exams exclusively online, to avoid any 'untoward' situation.  

BRAC University was supposed to shift to its new campus at Merul Badda of Dhaka soon. And so, people working at the university, such as the faculty members and administrative officers—split into two groups—had already been working from home, on rotation, even before 28 October.   

As the blockade limits public movement, the university has not only delayed the campus move, but also re-introduced work from home for its staff. Meanwhile, the students attend classes online for their safety. 

"Half of the human resources and accounts department workforce are doing office work physically. The rest of the staff, and all the faculty members and students, are now carrying out their activities online. I don't know how long this remote working will continue," said an HR officer at BRAC University, preferring anonymity. 

Following suit, many private schools are also conducting academic activities online for the safety of their students. 

Guardians of students of some Dhaka-based English medium schools, including LORDS, Yale International School and William Carey International School said the school authorities are taking half-yearly exams online so that their children's academic year does not get disrupted. 

However, the flip side of online education is that the students are missing the formal settings of the classroom, said some guardians. 

Counselling psychologist Anne Baroi's pre-schooler daughter studies at an English medium school. "My daughter was enrolled as a student this year for the first time. Due to remote learning, her usual daily routine has broken down. She is struggling with this new way of learning. She also misses her class friends," she said. 

Monira Shormin, an assistant professor of journalism and media communication department at the Green University of Bangladesh, understands the advantage of remote work as she recalls the days of 2014. 

During the 2014 political turmoil, she worked at a different university. The university authority deducted her salary for 18 days as she had not been to work. Monira skipped work at the time fearing the danger of commuting on public transport.    

However, Monira does not appreciate remote learning for several reasons. 

"Remote learning never creates the conventional environment of a classroom. In a classroom, I can unite or align and teach 20 students in the same environment. But online, students from 20 different environments cannot align themselves, even if listening to the same topic," Monira explained.   

There are other concerns too. According to Monira, the students doing remote learning cannot properly perceive some soft skills, including social communication and behaviour. 

"We have been witnessing behavioural issues among students who had carried out their studies online during the pandemic. As a teacher in Bangladesh, neither do I appreciate remote learning nor do I support an interruption in my pupils' academic life because of political reasons," Monira opined.  

The situation became more volatile since the Election Commission, on 15 November, announced the schedule of national elections in 2024. The major opposition parties, renouncing the schedule, immediately called nation-wide strike and there are likely to be more political protests in the days ahead. Hence, for many, there may not be any alternative to remote work or education.