Reopening of Universities: 19 months’ wait may end Oct 15

Students of all public and private universities will be inoculated against Covid-19 by September and the universities will start in-person classes from October 15, a meeting of the ministries and stakeholders concerned decided yesterday.

The students will have to wear masks on campus and follow other health-safety guidelines.

The decision was made at the meeting of the top brass of the education ministries, University Grants Commission (UGC), vice chancellors of all public universities, and high officials of education-related directorates.

Education Minister Dipu Moni chaired the meeting.

Fourth year and masters' students are to start in-person classes first but the authorities have left it to the universities to decide which students should come first or if all students should start at one go.

Meeting sources also said there was a strong possibility that in-person classes for SSC and HSC examinees would begin from the end of September or early October.

However, such classes could be delayed in primary schools as the authorities concerned are wondering whether it would be wise to bring the young students to school making masks or face shields mandatory.

Currently, students aged 18 and above can get vaccinated.

Yesterday's meeting also decided to extend the closure of all primary schools and kindergartens, secondary and higher secondary schools until September 11.

"Everybody was in favour of reopening the universities. We made a decision that all universities will be able to resume in-person classes from October 15," UGC Chairman Prof Kazi Shahidullah told The Daily Star after the meeting.

"All students and teachers should be vaccinated by September. Classes will take place amid strict maintenance of Covid-19 health protocols."

UGC member Prof Muhammed Alamgir said all universities should update the the commission within a week about the vaccination status of their students and teachers.

He said officials of the education ministry and the health directorate assured them that they would prioritise solving the problem of some students not having NID cards.

"The education ministry will take steps to provide vaccines to students who have no NID cards."

Meeting sources said the VCs of at least two universities suggested setting up vaccination booths at the medical centres of public universities to speed up the inoculation.

A number of UGC members said the universities would also reopen dormitories after students were vaccinated.

Several VCs spoke in favour of reopening the dorms from September as almost all their teachers and most residential students had already been fully vaccinated.

UGC Acting Secretary Ferdous Zaman said they sent a list of about 3.5 lakh university students to the health ministry. "Six to seven days ago, the health directorate informed us that 35 percent of 1.45 lakh registered students had been fully vaccinated."

He said almost all universities teachers had also gotten their two shots.

On March 17, 2020, the government closed all educational institutions due to the Covid-19 outbreak in the country. The closure led to cancellation of exams and left academic calendars in disarray.

Following the closure, the government launched TV educational programmes on the state-run Sangsad channel for secondary and primary students. Later, it asked all schools, colleges, and universities to introduce online education.

Most students in urban areas were able to utilise remote learning but the digital divide proved to be a great disadvantage for underprivileged learners, mainly due to a lack of devices and poor access to internet.

REOPENING OF SCHOOLS

Several top officials of the education and primary and mass education ministry said there was a discussion but no decision made on reopening secondary and primary schools.

They said there would be a meeting next week with the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19, where its advice on reopening schools and colleges would be sought.

A joint meeting will be held on Wednesday and there is a strong possibility that a final decision on reopening schools and colleges would be made then.

Minister Dipu Moni and Primary and Mass Education State Minister Zakir Hossen on Tuesday said necessary preparations have been made for reopening schools and in-person classes in phases.

Officials said that students of class-III, IV and V, might get to attend schools twice a week and students of class-I and II once a week. Students of classes VI to IX will also get to go to school once a week. The number of class days will be increased according to the situation, they said.

An education board chairman, who attended the meeting yesterday, said, "As the government has planned to hold SSC exams in November and HSC exams in December. There was discussion on bringing SSC and HSC candidates back into classrooms by the end of September or early October."

Asked, Deputy Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury said there were discussions on different issues but there was no concrete decision regarding the matter.

Apart from the ministers, top officials of Secondary and Higher Education Division, Technical and Madrasa Education Division, chairman and members of the UGC, the chairman of the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19, top officials of the directorates of secondary, higher, and primary education, and education board chairmen attended the meeting yesterday.