The students of schools and colleges in Bangladesh returned to their classrooms on Sunday with much enthusiasm after a long closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the return of thousands of students, the campuses wore a festive look with all covering faces with masks and maintaining social distance.

Students were seen entering their schools standing in queues in the morning and washing their hands at the school premises with soap or sanitizing those, reports a UNB correspondent visiting a number of schools in Dhaka.

Body temperature had been checked by school authorities before they entered their classrooms.

Read: No tiffin, masks at a premium, & may close again: Students return to school tomorrow

In some schools, isolation rooms were opened as a precautionary measure so that any student falling sick during the school hours can stay there.

To maintain social distancing rules, authorities in some schools have allocated one room for a limited number of students and one bench for one student.

Junior school students will be allowed one day in a week to attend their classes in person, as per the government rule.

Besides, the students of PEC, SSC and HSC have been asked to attend their classes regularly.

Arifur Rahman, admin officer of Cambrian School and College, Mirpur, said, “We’ve taken some measures at the entry point of the school, including handwashing, sanitization and checking body temperature. A short assembly was also arranged before joining the classes at the school.”

“I feel like Eid as we’re back to classes. Hope, everything will go well and we’ll be able to continue classes,” said Nafisa Tabassum, a student of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College while talking to UNB.

“We’ve got back life; we’ve got back our school, friends, teachers and classrooms. We’re thrilled. It gives us a feeling of normal life,” said Sadman Chowdhury, a student of Adamjee Cantonment Public School and College.

Read: Fresh Covid surge may lead to school closure again: Dipu Moni

Anisur Rahman, a guardian waiting in front of a school in Malibagh area to pick his son up, said “Reopening is a good decision but we’re still worried about our children as we aren’t sure how long health protocols will properly be maintained in the educational institutions and our children will remain safe.”

No tiffin

On Saturday, Dr Syed Md Golam Faruk, the head of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), announced that students returning to schools from Sunday will not be allowed to consume their tiffin or any food on the school premises, as part of the safety protocols that are being carefully stipulated ahead of the doors opening.

The DG-DSHE also urged them (guardians) not to send their kids to school in case there is any reason to suspect they (the children) may have been exposed to the virus by anyone in the family or otherwise.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni on Saturday said the schools may be shut again if Coronavirus cases go up.

After nearly 18 months, primary, secondary and higher secondary schools in Bangladesh reopened on Sunday with a slew of Covid-safety protocols in place.

The decision to resume classroom teaching was taken by the Bangladesh government earlier this month in view of the improving Covid-19 situation in the country.

Reopening universities

Regarding the reopening of universities, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni said there would be a meeting with the syndicate committees of the universities for possible reopening in October "as there is a vaccination issue".  

Read: 'Safe Back to School’ campaign pledges full support for reopening

The government shut the educational institutions on March 17, 2020, after the country reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8 and later the closure was extended several times.  

The pandemic-related school closures in the country affected about 38 million students though the government introduced TV-based learning programmes for them.