Bangladesh goes back to school in the midst of a pandemic

For the first time, students returning to school are getting chocolate and flowers. But it’s also the first time that every child gets a temperature check before they are allowed in.

To children, school means playing, chatting with friends, causing a ruckus and sharing their snacks — all form collective memories.

But now, as they return to classrooms after 543 days of staying at home, their experience is likely to be completely different from normal school life.

And for those children going to school for the first time, pandemic restrictions will likely rob the experience of much of its joy.

The government closed schools in March of last year. Classes have been conducted online since then, but students have not returned to in-person education before today.

In the intervening time, many children have outgrown their old shoes and uniforms. Some of their bags have started falling apart. Since the government announced the reopening a few days ago, students and guardians have been busy getting their books, uniforms, and stationary ready.

And now, alongside their uniforms come masks. And many mothers have also handed children small bottles of sanitiser for use throughout the day.

The gate at Mirpur Girls’ Ideal Laboratory Institute has been decorated with balloons. The board next to the gate has a list of rules and restrictions that students have to follow.

Teachers and school employees are lined up on either side of the gate. As guardians drop off their kids at the gate, temperatures are checked. And then the children are offered a bowl of chocolates.

In order to minimise the risk from the coronavirus, not all classes are starting on the same day. Different grades are to be present in school on different days, according to a schedule. Classrooms have changed as well.

Some classrooms have been decorated with artwork. And the seating has been spaced out, with large enough gaps to maintain social distancing.

At Mirpur Girls Ideal, desks that previously accommodated two students are now designated for only one. Students and teachers are all required to wear masks. Bottles of sanitiser have been placed on some desks.

Authorities say that school bags are not permitted on the premises and students will not be able to eat snacks. Many other rules are also in place. Despite this, many students were seen toting their school bags.

Students at Dhaka’s Udayan School were each given a red rose on entry. As they entered, some students carried the rose in one hand and a bottle of sanitiser in the other. The required masks covered the smiles on the faces, but the delight was evident in the sparkle of their eyes.

Schools were closed on Mar 17 last year in what became the longest break in education in Bangladesh’s history. The government made several attempts to reopen them, but successive waves of COVID-19 scuttled their plans and prolonged the closure.

There was growing pressure on the government from various quarters to restart education. As cases dipped, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered relevant authorities to make efforts to resume in-person classes.

Then, at an inter-ministry meeting on Sept 5, Education Minister Dipu Moni announced the reopening of schools on Sept 12.

From Sunday, SSC and HSC students, and students from fifth, tenth and twelfth grade will have classes every day, while students from first to fourth grade and sixth to ninth will have classes once a week, she said.

She also said that no one who is sick should enter school premises.

“Every school has to be on alert,” she warned. “If we see a surge in infections, the educational institutions will be closed again.”

The ministry also plans to hold SSC, HSC, primary school completion exams, the JSC-JDC exams for eighth grade and annual exams for primary and secondary schools at the end of this year.

Teachers of Mirpur Girls’ Ideal Laboratory Institute in Dhaka welcome students back with chocolates amid the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday, Sept 12, 2021 after the long closure. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

HEALTH CONCERNS

Many parents feel relieved after the government decided to reopen the schools and colleges as many students did not have access to online classes due to a lack of a device or connection. Remote learning has other challenges as well, such as a lack of monitoring by the teachers and the concentration of students.

But not all are happy. Many are concerned about COVID-19 as the disease has continued to claim lives.

“Homebound children will have a sense of liberation. It’ll be refreshing for them to meet their classmates and teachers, but it’s very much necessary to follow the health rules. The schools must be attentive to the health rules,” said Hosne Ara, a parent of a student of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College.

Teachers of Udayan School in Dhaka welcome students back with flowers and chocolates amid the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday, Sept 12, 2021 after the long closure. Photo: Kazi Salahuddin Razu

RESTRICTIONS

The government is also emphasising the health protocols in holding in-person classes. It has sent a 19-point instruction to the institutions to ensure physical distancing along with masking.

It has asked the institutions to hold two in-person classes a day.

The institutions have been asked to make the routines in such a way that the students of different classes can enter and leave at different times.

The routines need to allow the students to follow health rules without crowding.

Daily assembly will be closed for now and the institutions will have to send information to the directorate following a checklist.       

The schools and colleges will have to keep one room ready for isolation of any student who would fall sick.

Students must be seated three feet apart and wash their hands with soap and water or sanitiser before entering the institutions. The school authorities will use handheld thermometres to check their temperature before allowing them in.