Heatwave: Govt shuts educational institutions for 7 days

The government has announced to keep shut all schools, colleges, and madrasas across Bangladesh for a week considering the health protection of students as a mild to severe heatwave is sweeping over the country.

The decision comes a day before the educational institutions were scheduled to open on 21 April following Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education asked to keep all government primary schools, Shishu Kalyan Trust schools, and Bureau of Non-Formal Education learning centres closed from 21 April to 27 April, said the ministry’s Senior Information Officer Mahbubur Rahman Tuhin.

Earlier in another notice, the ministry gave a directive to suspend the daily assembly at government primary schools across the country until further notice in the wake of the current heatwave condition.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education said all the public and private educational institutions under the directorate would open on 28 April instead of 21 April due to the ongoing heatwave and heat alert issued by the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

The Directorate of Madrasa Education echoed the same.

Meanwhile, the Met office on Saturday predicted that the heatwave condition would remain unchanged for the next five days.

A severe heatwave is sweeping Khulna division and Rajshahi, Pabna, and Tangail districts, while a mild to moderate heatwave is sweeping Barishal division, the rest of Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions, and Chandpur and Moulvibazar districts, according to the BMD bulletin.