In-person classes at pre-schools to resume Mar 15

In-person classes for pre-primary students will resume on March 15 after a two-year Covid-induced closure with strict pandemic protocols in place.

The decision came at a meeting chaired by State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Md Zakir Hossain at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

Initially, classes will be held two days a week- Sunday and Tuesday.

Secretary of the ministry Aminul Islam Khan, Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education Alamgir Muhammad Mansurul Alam, Additional Secretary Ruhul Amin and Mosharraf Hossain were present at the meeting.

Earlier on March 4, Education Minister Dipu Moni said in-person classes at all secondary schools may start fully from mid this month.

After a month-long shutdown, all secondary, higher secondary and university-level institutions in Bangladesh reopened on February 22 for physical classes. However, primary schools in Bangladesh reopened for in-person classes on March 1.

On January 21, the government announced that all schools and colleges in Bangladesh would remain closed from January 21 to February 6 amid a renewed surge in Covid-19 cases largely due to the new Omicron variant. The shutdown was extended till February 20 for the safety of the students as the virus continued to spread.

After a 17-month Covid-induced closure, students in Bangladesh had briefly returned to their classrooms on September 12 last year.