Home ›› 13 Sep 2021 ›› Editorial
Schools have seen a unique sight yesterday with excited children running around their favorite school ground wearing masks. After a long shutdown of 18 months because of the ravages of Covid-19 infection, primary, secondary and higher secondary schools opened to resume in-person classes like the pre-pandemic days.
Happiness and enthusiasm were writ large on the faces of both teachers and students as they could come back to their favourite premises after such a long time. Teachers welcomed students with sticks of flowers while their temperature was recorded digitally. After a spell of games on the ground, students were seen washing their hands with soap in wash basins kept in corners. In the classrooms ‘one student one bench’ was the rule followed in all schools. The health instructions were followed on the first day with no complaints and now it remains to be seen what transpires on the following days.
When asked, students said they were looking forward to attending real life classes instead of virtual ones and sit for examinations in the classroom in a traditional manner. They feel this way their real talent will be evaluated appropriately. Despite the nagging fear of the virus infection in the background, parents looked relieved too as schools opened after the long gap. Many guardians were getting concerned regarding the mental health of their growing children who remained cooped up inside the four walls of their home for nearly two years. But, before sending children to schools parents will also have to be fully aware regarding the preventive measures they and their children must observe to prevent Covid-19 and dengue infection. Studies show that children mostly get bitten by the Aedes mosquito in schools.
According to the government decision, from Sunday (Yesterday) the Secondary School Certificate and Higher Secondary School Certificate examinees of 2020-2021 session and the Primary Education Completion examinees will join classes regularly while the students of grade I to IV and grade VI to IX once a week initially.
It is good to know that the government has sent strict instructions to school authorities to the effect that students will not be allowed to consume their tiffin or any food on the school premises as part of the safety protocols. Also, teachers will have to ensure that students wear masks and practise social distancing in a bid to avoid getting infected. On the other hand the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 recommended vaccination of at least 80 per cent of teachers and staff before joining office in schools. The government decided to reopen in-person classroom teaching earlier this month, in view of the improving Covid situation in the country, and issued guidelines subsequently for the purpose.
This may be mentioned here that a UN report issued in August said that Bangladesh is the only country in South Asia and one of only 14 globally that kept schools fully closed during the pandemic. The educational institutions had unanimously taken the decision to close down activities on March 17, 2020 after the country reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8. On August 26 this year, the authorities extended the closure until September 11.
However, the education ministry and the health ministry have issued words of caution that educational institutions will be shut down again if the Covid-19 infection rate goes up in the country. As Covid-19 virus has not gone away for good and may come back anytime, experts now stress the need for specific training sessions for teachers, students, staff and guardians focusing on health protocol to avoid the Covid-19 transmission. They also suggest a national infection prevention and control committee needs to be formed for all educational institutions. This committee will form subcommittees for individual institutions to implement health guidelines.
While we welcome the decision to open schools, we at the same time feel that specific rules and regulations along with the health guidelines need to be in place for all academic institutions. It is not enough to just formulate rules, implementation and monitoring need to be ensured in every step.
