Students back to school as Covid cases fall

In-person classes of secondary, higher secondary and above across the country resumed on Tuesday after more than a month of suspension due to the surge in Covid-19 cases.

However, only students with two doses of Covid-19 vaccines are allowed in classrooms while the students who did not receive two doses of Corona jabs will have to attend classes online or through television.

The government declared the reopening as Covid-19 infection and fatality rate declined and vaccination coverage has increased significantly, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Huge people including the guardians and students were seen gathering in front of the gates of different schools in the city on the day.

“I am happy to attend my class in-person after more than a month. I meet my friends and enjoyed learning in class room,” said Sharmeen Sultana, a student of class nine.

She said that most of her friends have vaccinated by this time.

On February 17, the education minister Dipu Moni said that as Covid-19 infections are decreasing in the country, in-person classes from the secondary to tertiary levels across the country would resume from February 22.

She said the students of primary school will resume school in-person on March 1.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Tuesday said that nearly 15 million students age above 12 have received first dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 10 million of them have received final dose.

He said those primary school students who are under 12 years will be vaccinated after getting the approval from the World Health Organization (WHO).

In November, 2021, Bangladesh started Covid-19 vaccination for schoolchildren although mass vaccination began on February 2021. 

Bangladesh, in first phase, kept all educational institutions shut for more than one and a half years from March 18, 2020 to September 11, 2021 due to the Covid-19 situation.

Bangladesh recorded first Covid-19 case on March 8, 2020.

Soon after resuming the classes the authority shut classes again as the number of infection was increasing alarmingly in January.

The government closed the schools, colleges and equivalent educational institutions, again, across the country from January 21 to February 6 to combat virus surge.

Although the government shut educational institutions but kept all the businesses open that was criticized by the educationists.

They repeatedly asked the government to consider the reopening of the schools and universities.

But the government extended the closure by two more weeks on February 2.

Finally, following the directives of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the national technical advisory committee on Covid-19, the authority is going to resume in-person schooling for kids.

At the pre-primary–primary levels, there are around 20 million students across the country, according to the primary and mass education ministry.

At least 3.7 crore children’s education was disrupted by the closure of the schools in Bangladesh during the Covid pandemic, the UNICEF said.