All secondary-level schools in the northern district of Rajshahi have been declared closed for two days, starting from today (January 21, 2024), due to severe cold. All primary-level schools are also closed today, according to an official notification signed by Dr Sharmin Ferdous Chowdhury, deputy director (acting) of secondary and higher secondary education in Rajshahi zone. Local meteorological department yesterday predicted that the district would experience less than 10 degrees Celsius temperature for the next two days (January 21 and 22). Following the forecast, education officers of the district held a meeting yesterday and took the decision to keep the primary and secondary schools closed. Read more: UGC forcibly imposed GST system on us: JnU Teachers Association Saidul Islam, primary education officer of the district, told UNB’s Rajshahi correspondent that academic activity at the primary schools will remain closed only for Sunday but the offices will remain open as usual. “Observing Sunday’s weather, the next course of action will be decided,” he said. The district witnessed a fall of four degree Celsius temperature within a span of two days. The local Met Office yesterday recorded 9.8 degrees Celsius temperature against 13.8 degree Celsius a day before. Dense fog blankets the whole district while wind has been blowing. As a result, a severe cold is being felt. Rajib Khan, observer at Rajshahi Meteorological Observatory, said the minimum temperature in Rajshahi dropped to 9.6 degrees Celsius on January 13. The second lowest temperature of the season was recorded at 9.8 degrees Celsius at 7:30 am yesterday. Read more: Educational institutions shut in Kurigram due to cold wave On Friday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 13.8 degrees Celsius, he said. The temperature also decreased yesterday after dense fog had descended, he said, forecasting that such weather may persist throughout January. On January 16, Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) issued a circular saying that the education authorities in any district can close down schools in case the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius. According to the circular, “A cold wave is sweeping different parts of the country and as a result the educational activities are being seriously hampered. The regional deputy directors in consultation with the district education officers can keep the educational institutions under secondary level closed if the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius in any district.” Read more: Mild cold wave sweeps 3 northern districts: Met Office

The Bangladesh government has suspended all assignment activities for students of classes VI to IX across schools in the country in view of the worsening situation of Covid-19. The order will remain in effect until further notice, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) said in a circular on Friday (May 23, 2021). After a year of closure due to the pandemic, the government on February 27 announced that all schools and colleges would reopen on March 30. Read Schools, colleges likely to remain closed until Eid: Dipu But it had to backtrack on its plan. On March 25, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni announced that all schools and colleges across the country would remain closed till Eid-ul-Fitr vacation. UGC directives for online education On May 7, last year, the University Grants Commission (UGC) published a guideline on conducting courses online, including teaching, arranging exams, making assessments, and also private university admission tests. Also read: Prepare to reopen: DSHE to educational institutions Bangladesh's Covid-19 picture Bangladesh recorded 88 coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours till Friday morning, as the country grapples to contain the second wave of the virus. Health authorities also reported 3,629 new cases, said the Directorate General of Health Services in a handout. Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh’s fatalities rise to 7,981 The coronavirus death toll now stands at 10,869 with the mortality rate slightly rising to 1.47 percent after staying at 1.46 for the last two days. Meanwhile, the daily infection rate fell to 14 percent from Thursday’s 14.63 percent. Between April 16 and 19, the country recorded over 100 deaths breaking previous daily records. Bangladesh saw 91, 95 and 98 Covid-related deaths on April 20, 21 and 22, respectively. Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month. Read UGC wants cluster admission system for private universities