As the country grapples with an intense heatwave, the government has announced the reopening of primary school academic activities starting Sunday, April 28.  The Primary and Mass Education Ministry, through a notification signed by Senior Information Officer Mahbubur Rahman Tuhin, outlined the operational adjustments to accommodate the sweltering conditions. School hours will be limited to the cooler morning hours, from 8:00 am to 11:30 am. For schools operating in two shifts, the first shift will run from 8:00 am to 9:30 am and the second from 9:45 am to 11:30 am.  Cuet students’ road safety movement postponed, to resume classes Despite these changes, pre-primary level classes will remain closed until further notice, and daily school assemblies will be suspended to avoid prolonged exposure to the heat. The decision follows a similar action taken for secondary level schools and colleges, which are set to reopen on the same day, April 28.  The resumption comes after an extended closure initially planned until April 27 due to the prolonged hot weather following the Eid holidays. Outdoor activities and those requiring sun exposure at these institutions will continue to be limited. To make up for educational disruptions caused by the heatwave and other interruptions, classes will also be conducted on Saturdays until further notice, according to the ministry's notification. Secondary schools, colleges to reopen April 28 amid heat wave The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has forecasted that the current heatwave conditions, which recorded a high of 42.7 degrees Celsius in Chuadanga on Friday, may persist for another 72 hours starting Thursday morning. The government's proactive measures aim to balance educational needs with health and safety concerns during this challenging climate period.

The Appellate Division on Tuesday (March 12, 2024) stayed the High Court order on keeping the primary and secondary schools closed during the month of Ramadan. A 5-member Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan  passed the order hearing an appeal filed against the High Court order. Attorney General AM Amin Uddin stood for the state while Advocate AKM Faiz stood for the writ petitioner. Attorney General AM Amin Uddin told reporters that following the Appellate Division order there will be no bar on running schools during Ramadan. Primary, secondary schools to remain closed during Ramadan: HC On March 10, the HC stayed for two months the government’s decision to keep the primary and secondary schools open in the first 10 and 15 days of Ramadan respectively. The HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the order following a petition seeking closure of school activities during Ramadan. Advocate Mahmuda Khanam stood for the writ petitioner while deputy attorney general Sheikh Md Saifuzzaman represented the state. On February 8, the government amended the holiday list for educational institutions keeping the regular activities of secondary schools open for 15 days during the month of Ramadan. The Education Ministry issued a notice in this regard. In another notice, the Primary and Mass Education Ministry issued a notice to keep the activities of primary schools during the month of Ramadan for ten days. Female student assaulted at JnU dormitory, journalist threatened Advocate Md Ilias Ali Mandal, a guardian, filed a writ petition on February 25, challenging the two orders of the government. Secretaries to the Primary and Mass Education Ministry, Education Ministry, deputy secretary of Primary and Mass Education Ministry and deputy secretary of Education Ministry, Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education Department, Director of Child Welfare Trust were made respondents.

The High Court on Sunday (March 10, 2024) stayed for two months the government’s decision to keep the primary and secondary schools open in the first 10 and 15 days of Ramadan respectively. The HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the order following a petition seeking closure of school activities during Ramadan. Advocate Mahmuda Khanam stood for the writ petitioner while deputy attorney general Sheikh Md Saifuzzaman represented the state. Milk, eggs, meat, and fish to be sold affordable prices at 30 points in capital Following the order, the academic activities of primary and secondary schools will remain closed during the month of Ramadan. On February 8, the government amended the holiday list for educational institutions keeping the regular activities of secondary schools open for 15 days during the month of Ramadan. The Education Ministry issued a notice in this regard. In another notice, the Primary and Mass Education Ministry issued a notice to keep the activities of primary schools during the month of Ramadan for ten days. Advocate Md Ilias Ali Mandal, a guardian, filed a writ petition on February 25, challenging the two orders of the government. SCBA election: Khokon, Monjurul elected president, secretary Secretaries to the Primary and Mass Education Ministry, Education Ministry, deputy secretary of Primary and Mass Education Ministry and deputy secretary of Education Ministry, Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education Department, Director of Child Welfare Trust were made respondents. Ramadan is likely begin from March 11 or March 12 depending on the sighting of the moon.

Finance Minister AHM Musatafa Kamal on Thursday (June 1, 2023) proposed an allocation of Tk 88,162 crore for the education sector in the national budget of Bangladesh for the fiscal year 2023-2024, up from Tk 81, 449 in the current fiscal. It's an increase of 8.2% over the last budget. In the proposed budget, Tk 34,722 crore was allocated against the Primary and Mass Education Ministry for 2023-24, which was Tk 31,761 crore in 2022-23, while Tk 42,838 crore against the Secondary and Higher education sector, which was Tk. 39,961 crore in 2022-23 and Tk 10,602 crore against the Technical and Madrasa Education Division, which was Tk. 9,727 crore in 2022-23. While unveiling the national budget, the minister said “We are decentralising education planning and management and implementing a 'School Level Improvement Plan (SLIP)' to enhance efficiency in primary education management.” Read more: Budget sets 7.5 percent annual economic growth, inflation at 6 percent Under this plan, the delegation of financial power has been restructured at the field level. An integrated education Programme has been launched to ensure education in mainstream government primary schools for all children of the society including children with special needs. Some 26,366 posts of teachers have been created in the pre-primary level of government primary school. Recruitment against a total of 32,577 posts including the newly created posts have been completed. Apart from the recruitment of the required number of teachers, primary school teachers are being trained on 5 core and 3 non-core subjects to increase the quality of education, he said. Besides, greater importance is being given to technology-based education to equip students for building a ‘Smart Bangladesh’, said the minister. Read more: Tax-free income limit increases to Tk3.5 lakh A total of 59,000 laptops, multimedia projectors and sound systems have been provided along with internet connectivity to more than 50,000 government primary schools to set up multimedia classrooms. Some 800 officers have been trained on ICT and more than 1 lakh teachers have been imparted hands-on training to create digital content. These teachers are creating digital content and teaching in the classrooms. As a result, classroom study is becoming interesting and the children are becoming more attentive in class, Kamal said. Meanwhile, special allocation is being given to schools for continuing teaching activities in schools in emergencies. The ongoing school feeding programme for more than 29 lakh students of 15,470 government primary schools in 104 upazilas of 35 districts of the country through the project titled 'School Feeding in Poverty-stricken Areas' has been completed recently. “We are continuing our efforts to transform educational institutions into modern and model institutions. A total of 351 secondary schools and 371 private colleges have been nationalized since 2009 to April 2023. As many as 315 private secondary schools located in upazila headquarters without government schools have been converted into model schools,” he said. Readmore: Finance Minister unveils Tk 761,785 crore national budget The construction work of 180 buildings has been completed for the government post-graduate colleges located at the district headquarters. Out of the 1,610 colleges selected under the private colleges’ development project, the construction of ICT-friendly buildings has been completed in 1,473 colleges. Under SESDP (Secondary Education Sector Development Plan), 33 model madrasas have been set up along with 62 new schools in underprivileged areas. At present, 176 academic buildings are being constructed to expand science education along with 33 hostels under the Expansion of Science Education in Government Colleges Project. A total of 33,285 multimedia classrooms and 11,307 computer labs have been set up in selected educational institutions since 2009 to enhance students’ proficiency in information technology and to modernize teaching methods. In addition, 64,925 multimedia classrooms and 12,000 labs will be set up in future. The digital content of 21 textbooks of primary level and the interactive digital text of 16 textbooks of class 6 have been completed and uploaded on the website. E-learning modules for 6 textbooks of class 7 and class 8 and e-learning material of 6 textbooks for class 9 and class 10 have been developed and uploaded. A total of 710 ICT learning centres have been set up in selected educational institutions. Read more: Curbing inflation without destabilising macroeconomic situation presents challenge for budget: Selim Raihan Audio-visual training content has been developed for teachers on classroom activities of all subjects of class 6 and 7 and training has been imparted to all teachers through open reading.

All primary schools in the country will be operated under a uniform shift from January next year, Senior Secretary to Bangladesh Primary and Mass Education Ministry Aminul Islam Khan said today (October 30, 2022). The secretary said this during a discussion with the media, on the occasion of his last working day at the ministry. “Ninety percent work towards introducing one shift in all primary schools has been completed. We’ll also extend the duration of classes gradually,” Aminul said. Also read: Mustafa Jabbar wants cyber security in primary school curriculum He added that the government has taken the decision due to its inability to construct new school buildings. “We’ve taken the decision considering the growing number of students and teachers. Once the single shift starts, no school will be closed and no teacher will lose job. We’ll initiate pre-primary and primary education at the schools which have dual rooms, and we’ll construct new buildings where possible,” Aminul added. Asked about the timing of classes, Aminul said that class hours will be extended to 4-5 hours from the current three hours. Also read: 342 primary schools in Dhaka will get aesthetic reconstruction: State Minister “There is a difference between class hours in Dhaka city and the rural areas. In Dhaka, classes start early, while in the villages, classes start late. Our aim is to ensure the presence of teachers in classrooms. We want teachers to give lessons regularly and for a longer period of time. That’s why we’ll increase the class hours,” Aminul said. Replying to a question, Aminul added that his Ministry will complete the process of transferring and recruiting primary school teachers before the coming Victory Day. “We could’ve published the results of the Bangladesh primary teacher recruitment exam earlier. We didn’t do it as some teachers had requested the ministry for transfer, which was pending due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We’re trying so that teachers who have been with a school for 10-12 years can be transferred after every three years,” Aminul said. Read More: Online transfer system of govt primary teachers resumes.

Education Minister Dipu Moni on Friday said the government would publish a list of education institutions within a week for bringing them under the government’s pay order. “We think we’ll be able to make the list, we’re now working for the MPO (Monthly Pay Order) enlistment, to be published within a week,” she said at a post-budget press conference in the city’s Osmani Smriti Auditorium in the afternoon. Replying to a question, the minister said the government will surely enlist the education institutions under the MPO net, but didn’t disclose the number. Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Health Minister Zahid Maleque, State Minister for Planning Shamsul Alam, Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir, Finance Senior Secretary Abdur Rouf Talukder and Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem spoke at the conference. The finance minister on Thursday unveiled the Tk 678,064-crore national budget for the financial year 2022-2023 with special focus on economic recovery from uncertainties caused by Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. In reply to a question about the budgetary allocation for education, Dipu said the budget of the Education Ministry increased by 19.72 per cent (some 20 per cent) this time comparing to the previous year. Besides, the allocation for research and development budget also rose in this sector. Now they’ve to pay stronger attention to the effective utilization of the allocations made for them, she said, adding that not only his ministry and primary education ministry, rather a total of 28 ministries are working on education and development of human resources. She thanked the prime minister and the Finance Ministry for preparing the pro-people budget amid the current global situation. In the proposed budget, the allocation for education is Tk 81,449 crore in the 2022-23 fiscal year increasing from Tk 71,974 crore in the 2021-22 fiscal year. The allocation against education still remains less than 2 per cent of the country’s GDP. Tk 31,761 crore was allocated against the Primary and Mass Education Ministry for the upcoming fiscal year, while Tk 39,961 crore against the Secondary and Higher Education Division and Tk 9,727 against Technical and Madrasa Division. We’re happy with allocation: Health Minister In the press conference, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said some Tk 40,000 crore (exactly Tk 36,863 crore) was allocated for health sector this time, which is some 5.5 per cent (exact 5.43 per cent) of the total budget. “The budget puts a high emphasis on health and education. So, we’re very happy,” he said replying to a question if he and his colleague Dipu Moni are satisfied over the allocations for health and education sectors. The health minister said medical research, non-contagious diseases, vaccination production and improved health system were highlighted in the budget. The import duty on health equipment and raw materials were reduced, he said.

Primary schools in Bangladesh will reopen for in-person classes on March 1, with strict Covid-safety protocols in place. Mahbubur Rahman Tuhin, public relations officer of primary and mass education ministry, told UNB on Friday. On Thursday, Education Minister Dipu Moni said all secondary, higher secondary and university-level educational institutions in Bangladesh will reopen for physical classes on February 22. At the same time, preparations are being made to reopen primary schools in another two weeks, said Dipu Moni.  Read: Senior schools, universities to reopen on Feb 22: Dipu Moni "In-person classes at primary schools will remain closed for another 10 to 14 days. Measures are being taken to vaccinate children below 12 years. The health and family welfare ministry and the Directorate General of Health Services are looking into the WHO approval issues," she added. Meanwhile, the ministry of primary and mass education has already prepared the list of students eligible for Covid jabs at all primary schools, according to the minister. On January 21, the government announced that all schools and colleges in Bangladesh will remain closed from January 21 to February 6 amid a renewed surge in Covid-19 cases largely due to the new Omicron variant. The shutdown was extended till February 20 for the safety of the students as the virus continued to spread. The following day, the education ministry issued an 11-point directive, including the resumption of online classes for schools and colleges. Read:Covid surge: Closure of schools, colleges extended until Feb 20 Besides, the vaccination of students, aged between 12 and 17 years, against Covid-19 was directed to be continued following the health guidelines in coordination with the zonal offices of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, District Education Offices, Upazila Secondary Education Offices, local administrations and Civil Surgeons. After a 17-month Covid-induced closure, the students in Bangladesh returned to their classrooms on September 12 last year. 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 Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday turned down a Tk 17,290.23-crore project designed to provide ‘Khichuri’ or other food items as midday meals to primary school students. “The project hasn’t been approved as the Prime Minister is concerned about its structure (modus operandi). She said cooking Khichuri in schools might hamper the study of students,” said Planning Minister MA Mannan. The minister was briefing reporters after an Ecnec meeting held at the NEC conference room in the city. Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting, joining it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. Also read: All above 14 to get smart NIDs; Ecnec clears project The meeting, however, cleared nine other projects involving an estimated total cost of Tk 5,239.62 crore, the minister added. Of the cost, he said, some Tk 250 crore will come as loan from foreign sources. Among the nine projects, six are fresh and three others revised ones. About the midday meal project, Mannan said the project will not be placed for approval anymore, but new projects over the midday meal may come in different formats.

Alamgir Mohammad Mansurul Alam, additional secretary of Primary and Mass Education Ministry, has been made the Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE).

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