Vocational, Madrasa, English Version: No TV classes for 2.8m schoolgoers yet

About 2.8 million students of madrasas, technical and vocational institutions, and English version are deprived of television education although their peers in general stream are receiving lessons to recover losses during the shutdown.

Educationists said if the situation continues, these students will fall behind their peers.

Officials of the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) and Directorate of Madrasa Education (DME) said they are preparing to air classes through Sangsad Bangladesh Television.

DTE Director Jahangir Alam said TV classes may begin tomorrow.

Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) started TV education on Sangsad TV on March 29. DSHE officials said a total of about 90 lakh students are currently enrolled in sixth to tenth grades at schools across the country.

Officials at Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) said they started airing classes on April 9 for about 1.63 crore students of 90,000 lakh primary schools and kindergartens.

On March 16, the government shut all educational institutions till March 31, which was eventually extended till April 25.

This means these will remain closed till May 31 for Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr, if the government does not cancel or shorten the vacations.

Bangladesh Madrasa Shikkhak Samity general secretary Delwar Hossain said many students asked them about TV lessons.

There are about 13.53 lakh students at Dakhil or secondary level madrasas; 8.16 lakh at 7,196 Ebtedayee or primary level madrasa and 3.5 lakh at independent Ebtedayee madrasas, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics.

DME Deputy Director Jahangir Alam said they are now recording classes for sixth to tenth grades.

Dohar's Joypara Government Technical School and College Principal Haripada Chandra Paul said students are incurring irreparable academic loss.

There are some three lakh SSC (vocational) and Dakhil (vocational) students at some 3,000 institutions, said DTE Director Jahangir.

He said they are planning to air three classes on three trades for vocational students, and would air classes on all trades in order.

Shahan Ara Begum, principal of Ideal School and College, Motijheel, wanted introduction of classes for English version students on TV. "We are working to start online classes for Bangla and English versions' students," she said.

Education officials say there are some two lakh English version students at schools across the country.