Published in: The Daily Star

Date: 9 Mar 2020

As the first cases of coronavirus were detected in the country yesterday, education ministries said they would take all necessary measures to curb the spread of the virus.

They, however, were yet to consider shutting down the educational institutions as an option.

The primary and mass education ministry is considering issuing directives to all primary schools regarding the do’s and don’ts for students and teachers, while the education ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation.

“We will take all kinds of preventative measures. But we are not thinking about shutting down the schools,” said State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Zakir Hossen.

His ministry oversees over 1 lakh primary schools, madrasas and kindergartens, with over 1.74 crore students and 4.26 lakh teachers, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS).

“We are taking various steps to raise awareness regarding the virus. We will also issue a set of directives for students and teachers,” Zakir said.

Deputy Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury said they will act following the directives of the health ministry regarding the COVID-19.

He said this while replying to questions about the measures they were taking and whether they would close schools across the country. The education ministry oversees 41,906 schools, colleges, madrasas and universities, with 1.94 crore students and 5.59 lakh teachers.

“We are closely monitoring the situation. We will act according to the situation and take necessary steps,” Secondary and Higher Education Division Secretary Mahbub Hossain said.

“No such situation has arisen for us to close down schools and colleges. But everyone should avoid mass gatherings,” Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research Director Meerjady Sabrina Flora said.

Three Bangladeshis, including two of a family who returned from Italy, have been infected with coronavirus, IEDCR confirmed yesterday.

Against this backdrop, many guardians have requested the government to close schools as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the virus.

“Many countries have already announced the shutdown of schools. Our government should follow suit. My children are my biggest priorities. I will not send my children to school,” said Jahanara Begum, a guardian in Rampura.

Motijheel Ideal School and College Principal Shahan Ara Begum said that closing schools might cause panic among the citizens. “We have already asked all students to wash their hands properly,” she added.

A government hospital pediatrician said although the mortality rate of children due to the coronavirus is low, mass gathering can be a hot bed for the spread of the novel virus.

“The shutting down of schools is the best option. But if the government cannot do that, they should instruct all guardians not to send their children to school if they feel feverish or are suffering from a cough or cold,” the doctor added.

“If possible, school authorities should sanitise the schools and fumigate each classroom every day,” the doctor proposed.

Meanwhile in India, some states have closed down schools as the number of coronavirus cases there reached 31 on Friday.

On Saturday, the Jammu and Kashmir government ordered all primary schools in Jammu and Samba districts to shut down till March 31 with immediate effect as the union territory braced itself for possible coronavirus cases.

On Friday, Biswa Bharati authorities at Santiniketan university in West Bengal “postponed” the Boshonto Utsav (spring celebrations) scheduled on the day of Holi on March 9 to avoid large public gatherings.

The decision was taken on Friday, a day after the University Grants Commission advised all universities and colleges across India to avoid large gatherings as a precautionary measure.

Primary classes of all schools in Delhi will remain closed till March 31 to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Delhi government said on Thursday. The government also asked all schools not to conduct school assemblies.

UNESCO said the coronavirus has hit the education sector hard. A record number of students are not attending schools because of temporary or indefinite school shutdowns mandated by governments in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.

As of March 4, 22 countries in three different continents have announced or implemented school shutdowns.

Thirteen countries have shut schools nationwide, impacting almost 290 million students, who would normally attend pre-primary to upper-secondary classes.

The countries are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, China [including Hong Kong and Macao], Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Georgia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mongolia, Republic of Korea and United Arab Emirates.

Nine other countries have implemented localised school shutdowns to prevent or contain the spread of the virus. Should these countries also order nationwide school shutdowns, it would prevent an additional 180 million students from attending school, said UNESCO.

Campaign for Popular Education Executive Director Rasheda K Choudhury said that shutting down schools can hamper the academic calendar.

“The government should take preventative measures, including very strong awareness programmes. They should immediately issue directives regarding the do’s and don’ts at schools and those should be properly circulated among students,” she said.

Source:

https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/educational-institutions-shutdown-not-consideration-yet-1878151