Bangladesh allows universities to reopen after Sept 27

The Bangladesh authorities are allowing universities to reopen for in-person classes and exams after Sept 27 following the long coronavirus-induced shutdown.

They took the decision in a meeting between the University Grants Commission, vice-chancellors and Education Minister Dipu Moni on Tuesday.

Professor Dil Afroza Begum, a member of the UGC who attended the meeting, said the universities were told to complete registration of the students for COVID-19 vaccines by Sept 27.

The universities can reopen if they want to after registering all the students for the vaccines by that time, said education ministry’s spokesman MA Khayer.

“They can also reopen residential halls.”

The students can receive the doses at the medical centres of their universities.

Prof Afroza said the students having no national ID cards will need to send their birth registration numbers to the UGC which will forward the numbers to the health ministry.

The students will be able to register on Surokkha web platform by using the birth registration numbers.

Schools and colleges across Bangladesh returned to in-person classes on Sunday after the shutdown of one and a half years. Medical and dental colleges reopened on Monday. 

The universities also began preparing for the reopening as the government had said they would be allowed to return to in-person classes after completing vaccination of teachers, employees and students.