Secondary schools closed in Chuadanga as mercury drops below 10°C

The authorities have ordered the closure of secondary schools in Chuadanga for Thursday after the temperature in the district dipped below 10 degrees Celsius amid biting winter cold across Bangladesh.

District Education Officer Md Ataur Rahman announced the decision on Wednesday, prompting the schools to issue notices for the students.

The decision was also circulated on social media to inform the students and their parents.

Officials said the schools will reopen on Sunday after weekly holidays if the weather improves.

No decision, however, was made about the primary schools.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education and the Directorate of Primary Education on Tuesday caused confusion with conflicting guidelines about the temperature threshold for school closures to save students from bitter winter cold.

Initially, notices issued on Tuesday afternoon mandated the possible suspension of classes in secondary and primary schools in any district where the highest temperature falls below 17 degrees Celsius.

Hours later, the two directorates issued revised notices, stating the temperature threshold for school closures is 10 degrees Celsius, not 17.

But meteorologists confirmed that no district in Bangladesh has ever recorded a highest temperature below 10 degrees Celsius since record keeping began.

They said the highest temperature below that level means the lowest temperature will be at the sub-zero level.

Asked why the primary schools were not closed, Chuadanga District Primary Education Officer Md Tabibur Rahman said: “We were asked to close the schools if the highest temperature falls below 10 degrees Celsius. But it was above that level.”

The district’s lowest temperature in the 24 hours to 6pm on Wednesday was 9.8 degrees Celsius, and the highest was 18 degrees Celsius.