One shift in govt primary schools from January: Secy

Students are happy to return to their school hostel after a long. The picture was taken from Kataltali residential government primary school in Khagrachhari on 9 March.Polash Barua

The primary and mass education ministry has decided to run all government primary schools in one shift and the decision will be effective from January, the government hoped.

Primary and mass education ministry senior secretary Md Aminul Islam Khan disclosed the decision at a press conference at the secretariat on Sunday.

He said, "We have chalked out a plan to bring all the government primary schools under one shift considering students, teachers and classrooms. In this regard, ninety per cent of the work has been done."

At present, there are 65,566 government primary schools in the country -- most of them conduct classes in two shifts.      

Aminul Islam said, "There are schools of two classrooms, one classroom or three classrooms. It is not possible to conduct six classes in two rooms. Apart from this, buildings [for the schools] cannot be constructed overnight."

"No school will be closed and no teacher will be laid off due to this. We have just divided the task," he added.

When asked, Aminul Islam said, "We are trying to implement the initiative from January."