Education
SSC exams to begin on Nov 14, HSC on Dec 2
The much-awaited Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and their equivalent examinations will begin on November 14 and December 2 respectively, maintaining health protocols.
The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education unveiled the schedules for the two public examinations on Monday.
This year, the two public examinations could not be held as per schedules due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the government decided to hold the examinations with shortened syllabuses.
Read:SSC, HSC exams either in Nov or Dec next: Education Minister
The examinations will be held with short syllabuses on three elective subjects on group basis, and 24 assignments will be given for SSC students while 30 assignments for HSC students before the examinations, Education Minister Dipu Moni said in July.
No assignment will be given on Bangla, English and other compulsory subjects and the 4th subjects, she said.
According to the exam schedules, the SSC and its equivalent examinations will end on November 23 while that of HSC on December 30.
Read: Scientific evidence to guide decision on SSC, HSC exams: Dipu Moni
Schools, colleges that’ll see infection surge to be shut: Dipu Moni
If there is any report or possibility of rise in Covid cases in any educational institution then those will be closed, said Education Minister Dipu Moni on Saturday.
“But no such situation has so far arisen anywhere. If any report comes, we’ll take steps,” she said while talking to reporters after the inauguration of Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition at the Shilpakala Academy.
“We don’t want to bring the pre-primary level students to educational institutions now. After three weeks, we’ll take a decision on it,” said Dipu Moni.
Also read: Five girl students contract Covid in Thakurgaon school
School Closure: 50,000 students may have dropped out in Kurigram
As students across the country are back to classrooms after one of the world's longest Covid closure, many of them missed their peers with officials concerned in Kurigram fearing that at least 50,000 kids may have dropped out due to early marriage and poverty in the district.
Teachers and concerned officials gave this observation to UNB as school reopened on Sunday after nearly 18 months amid a festive atmosphere and calls for maintaining Covid health guidelines.
District Secondary Education Officer Shamsul Alam said, “We inspected 5 schools in Kurigram Sadar on Sunday. Around 13 % of students have dropped out from these institutions during school closure. As many as 63 girls were victims of child marriage.”
Read: Reopening: Flooding robs of Kurigram students’ enthusiasm
According to “our assumptions, the total number of school dropouts in the district would be around 50,000,” he said adding “We have directed the concerned individuals to present an exact figure as soon as possible.”
After a reality check at the schools in different upazilas of the district including Ulipur and Kurigram, the UNB correspondent reported that the number of absentees was 20-25 % on average in all the institutions.
The correspondent added that most of the students dropped out due to economic reasons and a significant amount due to early marriage.
Read No tiffin, masks at a premium, & may close again: Students return to school tomorrow
New curricula in schools, colleges from 2023: Dipu Moni
Education Minister Dipu Moni on Monday said the government has decided to introduce new curricula in schools and colleges from 2023, removing the divisions of science, arts and commerce up to class X.
“Piloting of the new curricula in class one at primary level and class VI in secondary education level will begin next year,” she said.
The Education Minister revealed this information at a press briefing on the National Curricula Framework presentation at the Secretariat.
According to the new curricula, there will be no science, arts and commerce sections up to class X, and they will be trained on technical subjects.
Read:World-class higher education necessary to build progressive future generation: Dipu Moni
“The new curricula couldn’t be introduced in 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic. Now we’ll introduce it in 2023 and the new curricula will be introduced in all classes by 2025,” she said.
The government has selected 10 common subjects for all students up to SSC level and students will be allowed to choose optional subjects in class XI and class XII,” the minister said.
“There’ll be a piloting of new curricula in 100 educational institutions of primary and secondary schools. The new curricula will be introduced for class one and class two while for class VI and class VII in secondary level in 2023. It’ll will be introduced for the students of class III, IV, VIII, IX in 2024 while for class V and class X in 2025,” said Dipu.
Read: No room to defy Covid norms at schools, colleges: Dipu Moni
Besides, three public examinations will be held under the new system. The class X students will sit for Secondary School Certificate(SSC) examinations, while the students will sit for two more public exams in class XI and class XII and the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations results will be published based on the results of class XI and class XII.
But, there will be no examination up to class III, the minister said.
“The national curricula have been introduced from pre-primary level to class XII. Earlier, the primary and secondary level education was complexly separate. The aim of introducing the new curricula is to make a smooth journey for students from one level to another level and help them to cope up with the new level easily. We’re just trying to see the students not facing any problem at the new level,” she added.
Steps have been taken so that students can learn most of their lessons in their classrooms, said the Minister.
World-class higher education necessary to build progressive future generation: Dipu Moni
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni has said quality higher education has now become a necessity to develop a progressive future generation.
She emphasized the importance of quality higher education while officially inaugurating the state-of-the-art campus of Universal College Bangladesh (UCB), which is the exclusive partner of globally reputed Monash College, Australia.
“In order to thrive in this fast-paced world, we need to focus on ensuring the best possible education facilities for our young generation. Developed countries are equipped with those capabilities due to their strong financial backup, but I firmly believe that we can also ensure better educational facilities with the collective efforts from everyone, and I thank UCB for stepping up,” Dr Dipu Moni said at the event on Sunday.
Read:No room to defy Covid norms at schools, colleges: Dipu Moni
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi joined the ceremony as the special guest while Deputy Minister of Education Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury Nowfel, Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Jeremy Bruer and UCB Group CEO Dr Sandeep Ananthanarayanan joined as the guests of honour.
The ceremony featured a landmark presentation on STS Knowledge City in addition to keynote speeches by distinguished guests and additional presentations from UCB dean of academic affairs Sarwar Uddin Ahmed and UCB head of marketing Amid Hossain Chowdhury.
STS Group is the same company that brought ISD and DPS STS Schools to Bangladesh, as well as healthcare through the Evercare Group of Hospitals and now international education through Universal College Bangladesh. Monash University, the latest collaborative partner of UCB, is a world top-100 ranked university, according to the QS 2022 rankings.
Read: Will make up whatever students missed out on during closure: Dipu Moni
“We are very thankful to Dr Dipu Moni for her forethought and vision in helping transform the education landscape of Bangladesh. Universal College Bangladesh is bringing to the doorsteps of Bangladeshi students affordable, world-class international education, thereby not only expanding future possibilities for domestic students, but also saving the nation’s foreign exchange outflow significantly,” said Bob Kundanmal, chairman of Universal College Bangladesh.
The UCB is the exclusive partner of Monash College, Australia, and the only Ministry of Education-approved international education provider in Bangladesh. “‘On completion of their programmes at UCB, students get 100 per cent guaranteed entry into Monash University Australia and Malaysia,” Zarif Munir, director of Universal College Bangladesh informed at the event.
Students can jumpstart their journey to a degree at Monash University immediately after their O, AS, A or HSC levels by joining Monash College programs in Bangladesh at UCB, while receiving the same global academic curriculum with extremely cost-effective tuition fees, according to UCB.
PEC exam likely in November or December: State Minister
The Primary Education Completion (PEC) examination will be held either in November or December if the Covid situation improves, said State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Ministry Md Zakir Hossain.
“As per the directives of the government, the students of class V will regularly attend their classes and the PEC exam will be held at the end of November or in the first week of December if the Covid situation improves,” he said at a press briefing at the Secretariat.
Read: Educational institutions being prepared for reopening Sep 12
Replying to a question, Zakir said, “The exam will be held on short syllabus and we have provided a syllabus on it. We have a recovery plan also.”
Besides, the government is thinking about taking the annual exams, he said.
Bangladesh set to reopen schools
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni said that the country's educational institutions will be ready to host students by September 9, before finally reopening three days later - bringing to an end what Unicef has called the world's second-longest schools closure due to Covid-19.
“Ministry officials will complete field inspections within Sep 9 to observe whether the institutions are fully prepared to open their doors for students,” she said while speaking to the press after an inter-ministerial meeting at the cabinet division on Sunday.
Read: UNICEF welcomes Bangladesh’s decision on reopening schools
“No one will be allowed entry to school and colleges without a mask after reopening. The parents will have to play a vital role in this,” she added.
The decision to reopen all the primary, secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions on September 12 was finalised at the meeting.
Govt planning to take classes one day a week initially: Nowfel
The Ministry of Education is planning to take classes one day a week after the reopening of schools and colleges on September 12, said Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel on Saturday.
Nowfel said this while talking to journalists after attending a function at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital.
“We’re hopeful of starting physical classes following the Education Minister’s announcement and our primary plan is to take classes one day a week but it may be changed,” he said.
Also read: Schools, colleges to reopen on Sept 12: Dipu Moni
Efforts will continue to take the SSC and HSC exams through in-person presence with a brief syllabus but the assignment works will continue as before, he said.
The long closure of schools and colleges due to the Covid-19 pandemic has created a mental pressure on the students and there had been efforts to continue education online but that was not enough, Nowfel added.
Educators call on Taliban not to replace system
Former officials and lecturers at Afghanistan universities have called on the Taliban to maintain and upgrade the country’s education system instead of creating a new one.
Former minister of higher education Abas Basir said Sunday at a conference on higher education held by the Taliban that starting over is a mistake made by previous governments.
He says: “Lets not reject everything, starting a new system, we should work more on what we already have.”
Taliban caretaker higher education minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani criticized the current education system founded by the international community, saying that religious education was considered insignificant.
Read: Taliban guard airport as most NATO troops leave Afghanistan
“World tried to take religion out of scientific education which harmed the people,” Haqqani said. He added that “every item against Islam in the educational system will be removed.”
The Taliban policy on women’s education was not clear but Tariq Kamal, chancellor of a private university, said women were very interested in some higher education fields and “we need the guidance of Taliban leadership on them.” Kamal spoke for private universities in Afghanistan.
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
LONDON — Military planes carrying British troops and diplomats from Kabul are landing at a U.K. air base after the U.K.’s two-week evacuation operation ended.
The U.K. ambassador to Afghanistan, Laurie Bristow, was among those who arrived Sunday at RAF Brize Norton northwest of London, hours after the government announced that all British personnel had left Kabul.
Britain says it has evacuated more than 15,000 U.K. citizens and vulnerable Afghans in the past two weeks but that as many as 1,100 Afghans who were entitled to come to the U.K. have been left behind.
Vice Adm. Ben Key, who was in charge of the British operation, said: “We tried our best.”
In a video message, Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the “colossal” effort, saying it was “a mission unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes.”
Read: Taliban takeover prompts fears of a resurgent al-Qaida
But he is facing strong criticism over the failure to bring to safety all those Afghans who helped British forces during the 20-year deployment in Afghanistan that began in the wake of 9/11.
Johnson acknowledged that Britain “would not have wished to leave in this way,” but said “we have to recognize that we came in with the United States, in defense and support of the U.S. and the U.S. military did the overwhelming bulk of the fighting.”
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TIRANA, Albania — Two more planes have brought Afghans fearing the Taliban to Albania, bringing the total number of evacuees to 457.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday the two planes landed at dawn with 154 and 28 Afghans, respectively. Most of them will be temporarily housed at a student campus in the capital Tirana, while others were sent directly to hotels.
Albania aims to shelter all the evacuees in hotels instead of camps to give them a sense of normalcy.
Albania was among the first countries to offer housing to Afghans who have worked with U.S. and NATO forces and others fearing revenge following the Taliban takeover.
The Afghans in Albania come from different backgrounds, including activists and university staff, and include children.
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MADRID — The U.S. Embassy in Spain says that a third flight sent by American forces to Spain has arrived at the Rota military base.
Read: Deadly gunfire at airport; Taliban insist on US pullout date
The flight arrived early Sunday with 220 evacuees from Afghanistan.
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KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. State Department is urging all Americans in the vicinity of the Afghanistan’s Kabul airport to leave the area immediately because of a specific, credible threat.
The warning early Sunday morning says U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid all airport gates at this time. It specifically noted the South (Airport Circle) gate, the new Ministry of the Interior, and the gate near the Panjshir Petrol station on the northwest side of the airport.
A suicide bombing at the airport on Thursday killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members.
Experts seek roadmap for reopening educational institutions
As the Covid infection rate continues to fall, health experts advised the government to immediately take adequate preparations along with a roadmap to reopen the educational institutions in Bangladesh gradually.
They think the government should first reopen the universities and then colleges, high schools and primary ones within the next month by bringing teachers and eligible students under the vaccine coverage on a priority basis.
Read Closure of schools, colleges extended again until Sep 11
They also called for preparing national Covid prevention and control guidelines based on health sciences to ensure academic activities in the educational institutions with safety even if the virus transmission goes up further.
The government shut the educational institutions on March 17, 2020 after the country had reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8. Then the closure was extended several times. The latest extension was supposed to continue till August 31.
Also read: General holidays extended till May 30
But the government on Thursday extended the closure of secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions until September 11.
On Tuesday, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni said educational institutions in the country will be reopened soon if the coronavirus infection rate continues to decline.
Roadmap
Talking to UNB, public health expert MH Chowdhury (Lenin), chairman of the medicine department at the Health and Hope Hospital, said the government needs to prepare a roadmap quickly before reopening the educational institutions based on health sciences.
Read Protest 'classes' start Thursday at JU
Closure of schools, colleges extended again until Sep 11
The government on Thursday again extended the closure of secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions until September 11 considering the Covid-19 situation in the country.
Talking to UNB, MA Khair, public relations officer of the Education Ministry, revealed the information about the government decision.
“A joint meeting of the Education Ministry, Ministry of Primary and Mass education and the National Technical Advisory Committee was held on Thursday over the issue, “ he said.
The government shut the educational institutions on March 17, 2020 after the country reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8. Then the closure was extended several times, most recently until August 31.
Read:Schools, colleges asked to prepare for reopening, guidelines issued