Prepare now to reopen educational institutions

Millions of students are facing irrecoverable loss due to the closure of educational institutions for one and a half years amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The educational life of many students has become uncertain due to socio-economic circumstances. How this loss can be mitigated has become a big question now.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina, at a meeting with the secretaries on Wednesday, said when situation improves educational institutions must reopen as soon as possible. She also instructed to bring all students aged over 18 under vaccination coverage. Prior to this, education minister Dipu Moni said they have made all preparation to reopen educational institutions and they would do so once the spread of coronavirus drops.

However, Prothom Alo investigations found the government has inadequate preparation. Whether the instructions given by the education ministry last year require additions or deductions, hasn’t even been reviewed. However, heads of several educational institutions said there are ready. Once the government decides, they will reopen the institutions.

Experience of various countries says huge preparation will have to be undertaken to reopen educational institutions during coronavirus pandemic. Preparation will have to be taken on the basis of location, infrastructure and number of students and classrooms of the educational institutions. And, there are many educational institutions in densely-populated areas of the big cities including Dhaka. So, health rules will have to be maintained more strictly there.

Many experts and policymakers think if the rate of Covid-19 transmission drops below 5 per cent, educational institutions can reopen. Currently, the infection is near about 20 per cent. It was over 30 per cent several days ago. There are also controversies regarding the accuracy of the infection rate. According to people concerned, at present the rate of transmission is assessed on the basis of the tests of samples collected from those who come to hospital or clinic with Covid-19 symptoms. If tests were run on random sampling, the actual figure would be found.

So there is no logic to keep educational institutions shut on the excuse of infection rate. The government has opened everything amidst coronavirus. And, an effort is underway to show that everything is normal in the society. So, how long will educational institutions remain shut?

All educational institutions will remain closed until 31 August as per the government’s decision. After that, educational institutions should be opened in phases. Particularly preparation must be taken now to open the universities. Then colleges and high schools will have to be open and finally primary schools. The government announced Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations will be held in November and December respectively. Only two or three months are left. If educational institutions don’t reopen in September, it won’t be possible to hold the examinations.

So, take preparation right now without any delay. Formulate an outline on how many students of universities, colleges and high schools can be vaccinated in how many days. Health equipment will have to be supplied to students in addition to advising them to follow health rules. There has been a huge loss in education over the past one and a half years and this must not continue.