Schools and colleges across the country are likely to remain shut until Eid-ul-Fitr vacation if the recent spike in Coronavirus infections continues, said Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni on Thursday. “The closure of primary, secondary and higher secondary-level institutions is likely to be extended until Eid-ul-Fitr like universities if the coronavirus cases continue to rise. A decision in this regard will be taken after a meeting with the National Technical Advisory Committee formed to fight the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said. Also read: Covid-19: Educational institutions reopening may be delayed The decision over reopening of the schools and colleges will be revealed by tomorrow (Friday), said the minister while talking to reporters after attending a meeting arranged at Bangabandhu Avenue, marking Genocide Day. The government shut educational institutions on March 17 last year after the country reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8. The closure was extended several times, most recently until late March this year. On February 22 the education minister announced that university classes will resume on May 24. University dormitories were scheduled to be reopened on May 17. Besides, classes in all primary, secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions were scheduled to resume on March 30. Also read: Bangladesh's daily Covid-19 cases stay over 1,000 for 3 days Meanwhile, Covid-19 claimed 25 more lives and infected 3,567 others in 24 hours till Wednesday morning amid an alarming spike in cases over the past few weeks in Bangladesh. The coronavirus fatalities rose to 8,763 with the latest figure while the new cases pushed the total infections to 580,808, according to a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). With the fresh 3,537 cases, Bangladesh has seen the worst daily increase in daily numbers for the second consecutive day since July 15, 2020. The free movement of people ignoring health protocols is believed to be the reason behind the recent upsurge in cases.