All educational institutions in Bangladesh have been closed for more than a year now. Despite several announcements to reopen them, there is still no certainty about when that might happen. Such a prolonged closure has had many unforeseen consequences for the students. The loss in education has surpassed the damages caused anywhere else. The attempt of organising online classes seems to have lost its momentum. It is a self-evident truth that online learning cannot substitute face-to-face learning. Online learning or remote learning is debilitated by the lack of real-life interaction between students and their teachers. It has little scope for assessing the learners. Given the digital divide - a vast majority of households in Bangladesh do not have laptops and internet connections - online education for all is just not feasible.
Since experts have suggested reopening educational institutions in compliance with health regulations, it is time the authorities concerned thought about reopening them, especially as Covid-19 infection rate now remains 6 to 7 per cent now. Education cannot remain on hold for as long as coronavirus continues. Just as other sectors are adjusting to the virus situation, efforts must be made in the case of education, too. Of course, the authorities must ensure all the health guidelines to be maintained before having plans to reopen the educational institutions.
Badsha Faysal,
Jurain, Dhaka,
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