The Covid-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history. It has affected the lives of about 1.7 billion students in more than 190 countries. Covid-19 has closed 94 percent of schools around the world and disrupted up to 99 percent of educational activities in low- and middle-income countries
Earlier this month, students began returning to classrooms in the world's top economic countries, including Wuhan, China, London, Spain, France, Russia and Israel. Despite the growing number of infections and deaths, many states are taking risks to open educational institutions. However, in those schools, precautions are being taken to wear masks, wash hands, check body temperature and maintain social distance among students.
When will the educational institutions of this country open? When will the stuck tests be held? These questions have spurred grave concern among the parents. Deep frustration has also been created among the students. Since, March 17, all educational institutions have been closed. Thus, due to the closure of schools, colleges and universities for months, the education sector of our country has been overwhelmed. However, there has been ongoing confusion over when the educational institutions will reopen.
In such a situation, teachers, students and parents have been asked whether the holidays should be extended or the educational institutions would be opened.
On September 23, the British Council announced that English medium schools will take ‘O’ and ‘A’ level examinations. On the same day, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education issued a circular for the launch of government primary schools. According to the circular, educational institutions are instructed to conduct 9 types of activities.
These include keeping the entire school yard, including the classroom, clean and disinfected at all times; keep all school furniture clean and sterile at all times, keep body temperature measuring instrument infrared thermometer; purchase of soap, bleaching powder, keep wash blocks and toilets clean at all times, purchase mugs, jugs, buckets, provide temporary facilities and drainage facilities for hand washing, Covid-19 period internet data purchase, etc.
Overall, there is an urge to open the country's educational institutions at the government and private levels. In order to comply with the guidelines for reopening schools in compliance with public health and hygiene regulations in the Covid-19 situation, school administrations need to adopt plans locally and implement them appropriately.
A common argument for reopening schools is that children are less likely to be attacked and killed by Covid-19. Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health in the UK, said in a recent interview published in the Sunday Times that a new study has confirmed that there is very little evidence of the spread of virus in schools.
Still, children live with adults, and especially in developing countries - with the elderly. According to the United Nations, the proportion of older people living with a child under the age of 20 is more than 10 per cent in most African countries. In European countries and in the United States, the rate is less than 1 per cent. The risk that children may be infected with the virus from school, and then they could spread it to their parents and grandparents at home must be taken into account.
The World Economic Forum said in a recent report that the reopening of the school should be further delayed. The single biggest reason for this is to help stop the spread of Covid-19. Their study predicts that delays in opening schools will reduce the risk of children becoming infected and prevent the spread of the virus in their families and save lives.
Everyone wants to resolve the ongoing stalemate in the field of education, as well as ensure the well-being of all. Urgent steps need to be taken by all to resolve the learning crisis and prevent the catastrophe of the generation. Education is not only a basic human right; it is also the most important element for establishing other rights. Just when the education system collapses, peace, prosperity and productive structures cannot be sustained.
To ensure uninterrupted learning among students, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has been encouraging teachers to conduct online classes. In order to ensure uninterrupted flow of education, authorities concerned are being instructed to start distance learning activities for school and college students.
In this case, initially the focus has been on launching online activities in higher level educational institutions in the country. There are currently 46 public and 105 private universities in Bangladesh, as well as a wide range of courses and programs in higher education in about 1,500 colleges affiliated to the national university. Overall, the number of higher education students in the country is about 4 million. The Bangladesh University Grants Commission (UGC) also formulated a policy in this regard in early August and directed all university authorities to start online education activities as soon as possible.
Citing UGC sources, media has reported that so far 63 universities in the country have started taking classes and teaching online. Of these, 56 are private and the remaining 6 are public universities. At the same time, the attendance of students in the universities taking online classes is 50 to 90 percent. And the rate of student participation in this class is comparatively higher in the case of private universities.
There are many limitations to conducting educational activities in the online environment. For instance, connecting students to the online classroom is a first-hand experience for all student-teachers, so they have to fight this method and trend with appropriate adaptability because virtual classrooms have created a computer-based learning and teaching experience different from traditional classrooms.
Most of the students are staying home in different parts of the country during the lockdown. Internet facilities in our rural areas are still not up to the mark. Students use mobile internet which often interferes with online connection due to poor internet signal. At the same time internet connection is still expensive in our country. This is another barrier towards conducting educational activities online.
There are also some technical problems associated with computer literacy which also create barriers in conducting online classes.
Students and teachers have to download some applications like Zoom, Google Meet, FoxFi, Audiobo etc. Many students and teachers are also suffering to download and use these apps due to lack of previous experience.
Due to these technical barriers, students take the time to respond to the class or join in the middle of the class, thereby gaining momentum to make the initiative fully fruitful.
A recent United Nations report on education says the pandemic has pushed the world into the deepest global recession that will have a lasting impact on the economy and education. As it turns out, in many countries of the developing world, students are being forced into child labor. We too are falling into this tragic and unfortunate situation and are constantly falling further. Now everyone has to take the responsibility of pulling everyone, shoulder to shoulder. Decisions need to be made more responsibly, with a sense of well-being, with greater significance. The crisis will come to an end at some point, but if we come to a new time and see that our values and social relations are no longer alive, it will be a dark catastrophe.
M A Hossain is Research Associate, The Scholar
