The authorities of Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia has asked the departments to prepare lists of indigent students who will need assistance to buy smartphones for attending online classes during the coronavirus pandemic.

A press release, signed by acting Registrar SM Abdul Latif, was issued in this regard on Thursday.

The chairpersons of all departments were asked to file the lists by August 19.

Further steps would be taken as par the direction of University Grants Commission, the press release said.

Talking to UNB, IU VC Professor Dr Rashid Askari said,  "I thank the government for the initiative to help the financially underprivileged students with digital devices. It is a very timely attempt to minimise the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on our education sector and it will help solve the problems of the digital divide in Bangladesh."

Also read: List students who can’t afford smartphones: UGC to public universities

No final decision has been taken over the Junior School Certificate(JSC) and the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations, said the Education Ministry.

A release of the ministry on Wednesday said that a confusion has been created among people as different media ran report that this year's Junior School Certificate (JSC) examination will not be held.

Considering the Covid-19 situation, the ministry sought advice from the experts about holding the JSC examination. Experts have given some alternative proposals and their observations. The ministry is reviewing the proposals, it said.

In the meantime, some media outlets have reported that a summary has been prepared on the issue. On the other hand, some media outlets published imaginary date of the HSC examinations, 2020, said the release.

However, considering the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education is considering various alternatives of holding JSC and HSC examinations.

A final decision will be taken soon in consultation with the concerned considering the concern of the students and their guardians and the decision which will be disclosed through press release.

Students and guardians have been requested not to get confused based on the information from any unverified source, the release added.

Also read: Closure of educational institutions extended again until Aug 31

The Primary and Mass Education Ministry will send a proposal to the Prime Minister over cancellation of the Primary Education Completion (PEC) examination due to the coronavirus pandemic, said

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Md Zakir Hossain.

“We had a meeting over the issue…we discussed the PEC examination and the overall planning about primary education. A summary will be sent to the Prime Minister for approval,” he told UNB.

Mahbub Hossain, Secretary to the Secondary and Higher Education Department, said no decision has been taken yet to send any proposal over cancellation of the Junior School Certificate (JSC) and Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) examinations.

“No decision has been taken yet over cancellation of the exams and no proposal has been sent to the Prime Minister in this regard,” he told UNB.

“A meeting is scheduled to be held this week where issues regarding the examinations and reopening of schools will be discussed,” he said.

On March 16, the government closed all the educational institutions to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Later on July 29, the government has again extended the closure of all the educational institutions of the country until August 31 considering the coronavirus situation.

The government is running a distance-learning programme through Sangsad Television. Apart from this, classes are being taken on Facebook and YouTube for primary and secondary-level students.

Many private universities have already started offering online classes as the University Grant Commission (UGC) on March 24 urged teachers to take online classes so that academic activities are not interrupted.

Bangladesh’s coronavirus death tally reached 3,471 on Tuesday after the health authorities announced 33 more deaths in the last 24 hours.

Besides, 2,996 new cases were identified after testing 14,820 samples, pushing up the number of cases to 2,63,503.

Also read: Coronavirus death toll nears 3,500 in Bangladesh

Professor M Lutfor Rahman was appointed as the chairman of public administration department of Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia on Tuesday.

Acting Registrar SM Abdul Latif told UNB that Vice-Chancellor Professor M Harun-Ur-Rashid Askari appointed Lutfor to the post for the next three years.

He was appointed to the post as the tenure of previous chairman, Professor M Zulfiquar Hossain, came to an end, the registrar added.

Read Also: International webinar on 'online examinations' held at IU

Bangladesh Betar will start broadcasting lessons ‘Ghore bose shikhi’ for primary school students from August 12 so that students could continue academic activities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Ministry Md Zakir Hossain will inaugurate broadcasting of lessons by Bangladesh Betar and 16 community radios.

The programme will be aired at 4:05 pm from Sunday to Thursday every week, said a press release.

All the educational institutes of the country remained shut since March 17 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.