Schools, colleges reopen Sept 12

Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and Primary Education Completion (PEC) examinees will attend classes regularly as the government has decided to reopen the schools and colleges on September 12 after closure of nearly one year and a half.

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni said this after the decision was finalised at an inter-ministerial meeting at the cabinet division on Sunday.

All educational institutions except universities across Bangladesh are set to reopen in phases from September 12.

After the reopening, the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) examinees of 2020-2021, and the Primary Education Completion (PEC) examinees will attend classes regularly while the students of grades 1-4 and 6-9 will attend classes once a week initially, Dipu Moni said.

Later, all the classes will be held regularly, she added.

Also Read: Medical colleges, nursing institutes to reopen from September 13

Now, only a few months are left for the SSC, HSC, and PEC candidates. Once their terms come to an end at the end of the year, regular classes will begin for classes 9 and 11, the minister said.

Regarding the reopening of universities, the minister said there will be a meeting with the syndicate committees of the universities, and the decision of reopening higher educational institutions will be taken in October after vaccinations students of universities.

Education Minister Dipu Moni talking to reporters on Friday, September 3, 2021 Dhaka Tribune

Replying to a question, Dr Dipu Moni said the preparations for holding JSC, JDC and all the final exams will be taken in advance. The examinations, however, will be held reviewing the Covid-19 situation at the time.

"All will need to wear masks and maintain health guidelines at educational institutes. The decision may change if the Covid-19 situation deteriorates," said the minister.

Regarding the vaccination of the 12-18 group, she said the decision will be taken as per the recommendation of the technical committee with the availability of vaccines.

“Covid-19 vaccines may soon be available for the 12-18 age group and a policy on vaccinating them will be formulated after acquiring approval,” said Health Minister Zahid Malik on Saturday, adding these group may get Moderna or Pfizer vaccines as per recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Also Read - Education Minister: SSC exams in mid-November, HSC in December

However, the Directorate General of Health Services on Sunday said there are no such plans as they are yet to receive any directives from the government on the matter.

Earlier, on August 26, the government had extended the closure of secondary and higher secondary level educational institutions until September 11.

The government had closed the schools, colleges, madrasas, and universities across the country back in mid-March last year after health authorities detected the first Covid-19 cases. Later, the closure was extended several times.

The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificates (HSC) examinations and their equivalent tests will be held in November and December, respectively, said the education minister on Thursday.

Also Read: PM Hasina: Schools, colleges to be reopened soon

“We hope to hold the SSC exams in mid-November and the HSC at the beginning of December,” Dipu Moni told reporters in Dhaka on Thursday.

Classrooms have been empty since schools shut down in March due to Covid-19| Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune

With a drop in Covid-19 cases and deaths in recent weeks, Education Minister Dipu Moni on Friday said that the government is planning to reopen the primary, secondary, and higher secondary educational institutions – including schools, colleges and madrasas – from September 12.

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

The long closure of schools and colleges due to the Covid-19 pandemic has created a mental pressure on the students during the long pandemic period . Though educational institutions introduced online classes that have some limitation, acknowledged Nowfel.