Bangladesh will shut schools if COVID surges again, says Dipu Moni

The educational institutions of Bangladesh will be shut again if coronavirus infections go up, Education Minister Dipu Moni has said.

The minister said she sees “little chances” of COVID-19 cases rising if health rules are followed properly in schools and colleges.

“If we see a surge in infections, the educational institutions will be closed again,” she told reporters in Jamalpur on Saturday, as the institutions across the country were preparing for the reopening on Sunday after a shutdown for one and a half years over the pandemic.

Dipu Moni also advised parents not to send their children to school if they show symptoms of COVID-19.

As students gear up to return to classrooms, the government is pressing ahead with its plans to hold the SSC exams in November, followed by the HSC tests a month later.

The government also chalked up plans to hold the final exams of Class V, or Primary Education Completion exams, the JSC and JDC tests for the eighth graders and annual exams of the primary and secondary levels.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Friday said the ministry would recommend another phase of school closures to protect students in the event of a spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The fate of in-person learning will depend on how the coronavirus pandemic pans out, he warned.