PECE exams likely in Nov
The government is likely to hold Primary Education Completion Examination for fifth graders in late November or early December if the Covid-19 situation continues to improve.
Senior education ministry officials also said English medium schools will need to reopen in phases as well.
"We have taken preparations for holding exams. We plan on taking the exams if the Covid-19 situation improves," State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Zakir Hossen said at a press conference at the Secretariat yesterday.
The press conference was organised ahead of International Literacy Day 2021, set to celebrated with a programme titled "Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide" on Wednesday.
He said the exams would be held on a shortened syllabus.
Asked whether there would be examinations in all six subjects, Zakir said it would depend on the situation. "If the situation permits, we will take exams of all subjects."
The coronavirus pandemic had forced the government to cancel this year's PECE -- the first time the PECE was cancelled after its introduction in 2009.
During the last several years, about 3 million students sat for the PECE.
Zakir said they have also taken preparations to hold the final exams of all others grades of primary schools.
Students of pre-primary classes, like play group and nursery, will not have to return to classrooms right now, he added.
Examinees of PECE, SSC and HSC will have to attend in-person classes every week day while the rest of the students will go to school once a week after schools and colleges reopen on September 12, Education Minister Dipu Moni announced on Sunday.
The government after an inter-ministerial meeting at the Secretariat on Sunday unveiled the details of the reopening, which would bring to an end a near 18-month closure of educational institutions due to the pandemic.
Educational institutions have been closed across the country from March 17 last year to curb the spread of Covid-19. The closure led to cancellation of classes and examinations, throwing the academic lives of more than four crore students of around 1.5 lakh educational institutions in disarray.
Zakir, quoting a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics Bangladesh study, said the country's literacy rate was 75.6 percent.
"Literacy rate in Bangladesh is increasing due to various efforts of the government. Still, 24.4 percent people are not literate. The desired development will not be possible if these people are not made literate," he added.
He also said the government was working to increase literacy among people and provide them with lifelong education.
Education ministry officials said English medium schools will need to reopen in phases and they would be allowed to bring all examines every day and students of other classes once a day.
"All kinds of educational institutions will need to follow the same process of school reopening," Secondary and Higher Education Secretary Mahbub Hossain said.
Officials of the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics say there are 78,700 students at 146 registered English medium schools in the country.
However, sources said there are about 350-400 such schools in the country, and many are not registered.
In another development, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education yesterday uploaded four documentaries on school reopening to their website, on their Facebook page and YouTube channel "Amar Ghar Amar School".
The documentary contains instructions for heads of educational institutions, teachers, school managing committees and students detailing the necessary arrangements for when educational institutions open.
Meanwhile, all examinations under the National University, which were postponed due to Covid-19, will begin on September 8, said a statement of the university.
Final year master's exams of 2018 will begin on September 8 and second-year exams of degree pass and certificate course of 2019 will start on September 11.
NU asked authorities to maintain at least three feet distance between candidates and follow Covid-19 health guidelines.
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