Secondary school students happy to return to classes after a month

Secondary school students were jubilant to step inside classrooms, strictly maintaining health safety protocols, as their classes resumed partially after one month of closure due to another wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Barring a few exceptions, students wearing masks, sanitised their hands at the entrances and maintained 3-ft distance inside classrooms. Authorities of schools split each class into batches to maintain social distancing inside classrooms.

Many guardians were seen flouting social distancing guidelines by crowding at most school gates including Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Monipur High School and College (Shewrapara branch), and Mirpur Girls' Ideal Laboratory Institute.

"We are happy to return to school. Who wants to stay at home?" said Udoy Gosh, a twelfth grader of University Laboratory School and College.

Only double vaccinated students were allowed to attend in-person classes, barring a few who were admitted to Class VI without taking vaccine shots, Ideal School and College Principal Shahan Ara said.

She said that attendance stood at around 90 percent on the first day.

The government does not want to shut down educational institutions again due to the coronavirus pandemic, Education Minister Dipu Moni said today while inaugurating a pilot curriculum at 62 secondary schools.

She urged all students, teachers and guardians to strictly maintain Covid-19 health guidelines.

Educational institutions were shut from March 17, 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and resumed partially on September 12 last year.

This was one of the longest school closures -- 543 days -- in the world.

Following a sharp rise in Covid transmission, the government again shutdown all schools and colleges for two weeks from January 21. The closure was later extended till February 21.

Public universities also resumed classes while primary schools are set to resume classes on March 2.