Staff Reporter :
Amid a moderate to severe heatwave, primary educational institutions are set to reopen on Sunday, while the decision regarding the opening of pre-primary schools is pending.
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education announced on Saturday that all primary schools will resume classes on April 28, but pre-primary schools will remain closed until further notice.
However, the ministry has issued several directives for the reopening of primary schools, emphasizing that school authorities, teachers, and students must adhere to the regulations.
According to the ministry’s directives, the health risks posed by the prevailing heatwave have been taken into consideration before resuming class activities in government primary schools, primary schools operated by the Child Welfare Trust, and learning centers of the Non-formal Education Bureau.
Primary schools operating on a single shift will conduct classes from 8:00 am to 11:30 am, while schools with two shifts will hold classes from 8:00 am to 9:00 am for the first shift and from 10:30 am to 11:30 am for the second shift. Additionally, school assemblies will remain suspended until the heat wave subsides to a tolerable level.
The duration of classes has been shortened due to the prevailing moderate to severe heatwave across the country, as stated by the primary and mass education ministries.
Earlier in the week, the Education Ministry announced that secondary and higher secondary educational institutions would also reopen on April 28.
Besides, it said that the secondary and higher secondary schools will remain open on Saturday to cover the learning gap of the students, and this directive will continue until the next notice is issued.
However, the ministry of primary and mass education, in its notice, did not mention anything about whether the primary schools would remain closed on Saturday.
Over the last two weeks, the entire country has been experiencing a moderate to severe heat wave hovering between 40 and 42 degrees Celsius.
So far, at least ten people, including children, were killed due to heat stroke, which rang the bell of alarm for the educational institutions to shut down the classes.
Though the government would open the educational institutions on Sunday, many guardians said that they would not send their children to school until the temperature came down to a tolerable level.
According to Met Office Dhaka, the prevailing heat wave is likely to continue on Sunday.
Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged across the country. Due to the increased moisture incursion, the discomfort may persist, it added.
Weather may remain mainly dry with a temporary partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country, while rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind are likely to occur at one or two places over the Sylhet division, with hail at isolated places.
