After nearly 18 months, primary, secondary and higher secondary schools across the country are all set to reopen gradually from Sunday with a slew of Covid-safety protocols in place.
Besides complying with all the directives, the school will ensure that all the students maintain at least six feet distance from each other while in class.
The decision to resume classroom teaching was taken by the government earlier this month in view of the improving Covid-19 situation in the country.
School authorities are gearing up to welcome students to classrooms, following prolonged closure since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
Apart from ensuring thorough sanitization of the school premises, many teachers have already put out the class routine and other directives for the students online.
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Students’ protection should be the highest priority when resuming in-person classes at educational institutions, which have been shut for the past one and a half years due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to education officials.
Arrangements have been made for the students to enter and exit the institution through two separate gates.
The students will not be allowed to consume their tiffin or any food on the school premises, as part of the safety protocols.
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni has already said that the country's educational institutions will be ready to host students by September 9, before finally reopening three days later.
School staff cleaning up classrooms to welcome students again | Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneAfter the reopening, the SSC and HSC examinees of 2020-2021, and the students of fifth standard will attend classes regularly while the students of grades 1-4 and 6-9 will attend classes once a week initially, Dipu Moni had said. "Later, all the classes will be held regularly."
The guidelines include placing banners in front of each institution with the instructions that must be followed, giving a briefing to students on the guidelines and directives on the first day, ensuring regular temperature measurement of all teachers, students and staff, and preparing a room as an isolation center in each institution.
Universities in October
Regarding the reopening of universities, the minister then said that there would be a meeting with the syndicate committees of the universities for possible reopening in October "as there is a vaccination issue".
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Earlier, on August 26, the government extended the closure of secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions till September 11.
The government shut the educational institutions on March 17, 2020, after the country reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8 and later the closure was extended several times.
The pandemic-related school closures in the country affected about 38 million students though the government introduced TV-based learning program for them.
Meanwhile, the education authorities have issued guidelines as part of preparations to reopen the schools.
School staff cleaning up classrooms to welcome students again | Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune
The teachers of primary schools have been instructed to return to their workplaces.
The Primary Education Directorate asked the upazila education officers to inspect the schools under their jurisdiction within a week.
Besides, it gave instructions to keep the institutions neat and clean, taking utmost care to prevent dengue.
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The primary school authorities have been instructed to prepare their wash blocks accordingly.
Besides, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has asked the regional directors to make necessary preparations to reopen the schools and colleges in Bangladesh.
According to sources at the Education Ministry, most teachers and staffers of the educational institutions have been vaccinated.
Sources at the University Grants Commission claimed that around 80% students of Dhaka University got their Covid jabs.
