Shariful Islam, an eighth-grader, now assists his father in fishing activities at a water reservoir at their village in Narsingdi.
“I brought my son to help me as his school is now closed. In the past, I had a paid help, but now my son can help me with my work. I will need to share my income if I get a paid help,” Shariful’s father said while talking to Dhaka Tribune.
“Sharif was doing well at school, but now I doubt that he will return to school after the pandemic ends as he has already learned the technique of fishing and is attracted towards it,” he added.
However, when asked, Sharif had no idea that virtual classes were being aired on the state-run Sangsad Television.
Like Sharif, thousands of secondary and primary school students are now working outside their homes in villages across the country amid the pandemic as the number of Covid-19 infections remained low in rural areas.
In a recent visit to some villages, it was found that teenagers were working in different jobs, swimming in groups, playing in the fields, and loitering just like regular times.
Also Read - Bangladesh plans to reopen schools combining online, offline education
According to many guardians of students in villages, closing schools have not helped much as students do not want to stay home. They also say it was not right for the government to treat the entire country on a single scale as Covid-19 did not turn deadly in all areas.
They also expressed their opinion that the government should reopen schools in areas, such as villages, with low numbers of infections or where Covid-19 has not turned deadly.
“Although the schools are closed, teenagers do not want to stay at home as everything else remains open. At the same time, they mostly do not follow the health guidelines. If schools were reopened in villages, then they would be bound to follow health guidelines as per directives from their teachers,” said Ali Ashraf, a guardian from Kapasia upazila in Gazipur.
From March 26 to May 30, the government observed a nationwide general holiday to contain the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic and maintain social distancing. However, the educational institutions have remained closed since March 17 in the country. According to the latest announcement, all educational institutions will remain closed till August 31.
Covid-19 infections and deaths in rural areas
The percentage of infection remains very low in rural areas of the country compared to cities and towns.
According to public health experts, more than 95% of the country’s virus cases were centered towards city or town areas.
According to the DGHS, a total of 3,333 deaths were recorded until August 7, of which more than 70% were from Dhaka and Chittagong divisions while the rest were mostly from other cities of the country.
Among the deceased, only 0.56% were from the 0-10 year age group and 0.99% from the 11-20 year age group. These two age groups are composed of primary and secondary level students.
Are students in villages being deprived of education?
The government and various educational institutes have taken few initiatives, including televised lessons and online classes, to help students continue with their studies amid the crisis.
Initially, few private educational institutions in the country started offering virtual classes after the general holiday began, but the number of such institutes began to rise gradually in cities and towns.
The state-run Sangsad Television began airing pre-recorded lessons for primary school students on April 5.
However, the availability of remote learning facilities to every student across the country still remains a real challenge.
Also Read - Covid-19: Over 45% secondary school students may drop out
According to sources at the Education Ministry, it is not possible to engage 59 million students with virtual classes right at the moment. Therefore, the government has been working to find other alternatives to resume educational activities in the country.
“The government should take proper initiatives to start classes at schools as it is not possible to incorporate everyone under online classes with limited resources, and not everyone is following the televised classes as well as,” Rashida K Chawdhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), told Dhaka Tribune.
Meanwhile, Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury said it will be a good initiative if the government resumes classes at schools in village that reported zero infections.
“If the classes are not resumed, then an entire generation will be deprived from education as conducting online classes is not yet viable in Bangladesh due to inadequate training and lack of logistics and internet,” he added.
What do public health experts recommend?
Speaking to Dhaka Tribune, Prof Nazrul Islam, eminent virologist and former vice-chancellor of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), said: “Infection rate has been stable in Bangladesh for the last two months which is between 19-20%. It is likely to decrease at the end of August as per our projection.”
“However, as far as I know, the government may not reopen educational institutions in the villages,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Meanwhile, Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Director Prof Meerzady Sabrina Flora, said: “We have been closely monitoring the coronavirus situation in the country for two weeks. Our monitoring began after Eid-ul-Adza. We will share our recommendations regarding reopening educational intuitions after completing the observation.”
“Although infection rate has been very low in village areas, Covid-19 remains present everywhere. We are monitoring the improvement in the situation giving priority to reopening schools,” said Dr Flora, also the member secretary of the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC).
What does the Education Ministry have to say?
Mahbub Hossain, secretary of secondary and higher education division, told the Dhaka Tribune that they have no plans to partly resume school activities in villages.
“However, we are observing the situation and considering some plans, which will be placed before higher authorities in the government if the pandemic prolongs in the country,” he added.
Replying to a query, he said “We are considering both conducting actual classes and increasing facilities for online classes.”
