Two jabs completed students to attend school in person: Dipu

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni Thursday said students who have completed two doses inoculation of Covid-19 are allowed to attend classes physically in the schools from February 22. The minister made this announcement while addressing a press conference at her ministry conference room.  The decision has been taken after discussion with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, she said.   

Earlier, the education ministry held a meeting with National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 and discussed different aspects, including teaching in class rooms during last night.

“All the secondary, higher secondary educational institutions and universities will be opened,” she said, adding that “The students who did not received two doses of corona jabs will have to take online lesson or through television.” But the students and the teachers must have to follow the health guidelines strictly aiming to avoid corona infections.

Nearly 1,26,57,222 students ageing between 12 and 17 years have so far taken first dose and 34,40,448 students have so far taken second dose corona jabs. “We hope that second dose inoculation would be completed for the rest of the students by February 21,” Dipu Moni told the press conference.

She, however, said that the class room teaching must be administered with enforcing strict Covid-19 health guidelines. The universities will fix their own schedule but the university authorities could start their teaching programmes from February 22, said the minister.

Regarding opening of the primary schools, the education minister said as per the opinion of the technical committee, the infection rate has come down at 12.20 percent and the rate is declining quickly. So, the ministry has a plan to open primary schools after two weeks.

Initiatives on inoculation of students bellow 12 years will be taken later as the World Health Organization (WHO) is working to this end, he said, adding that lists of the students under primary and mass education ministry have already been prepared.

The brief syllabuses for SSC and HSC candidates would be completed shortly and there is possibility of holding their examinations from June to August.  

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education M ZakirHossen, Secretary of Secondary and Higher Education Division Md Abu Bakar Siddique, Director General (DG) of the Department of Secondary and Higher Education (DHSE) Professor Nehal Ahmed, Technical and Madrasha Division Secretary Tariqul Islam, among others, attended the press conference. All the educational institutes across the country have remained closed from January 21 due to a rise in corona infections.