Primary schools students will be promoted to the next grade without taking any examination if schools and educational institutions across Bangladesh cannot be reopened by November, Primary and Mass Education Secretary Akram-Al-Hossain has said.
The government has drafted two plans on how to proceed with primary education amid the pandemic, he told bdnews24.com on Sunday.
"If the schools are reopened by October or November, students will have to take their final examinations. Otherwise there won't be any final exams," the secretary said.
"You know how a student's progress is evaluated. But we can't do any evaluation if the schools are not opened," he added.
He referred to his own experiences as a sixth-grader in 1971 to explain why there shouldn't any problem if the government decides to automatically promote students.
"I was a sixth grader in 1971. We used to get our new books by March every year. But Bangabandhu ordered the closure of all schools and colleges in March 1971. We could not get any books. When we rejoined school in January 1972, we were promoted to the next grade automatically, it wasn't a problem."
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Zakir Hossain also confirmed that the students will be promoted automatically if the schools do not reopen by November.
But the government cannot announce any decision on the matter right now as that would discourage students from continuing their lessons, he said.
Earlier, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education decided to cancel the central Primary Completion Exam and hold annual exams for fifth graders in their respective schools instead.
Meanwhile, the government has ordered the authorities to admit to primary schools the students from kindergartens that may be forced to shut down due to financial troubles amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Many kindergartens are likely to close down during the pandemic due to a fund crunch, Primary and Mass Education Secretary Akram-Al-Hossain told reporters on Sunday.
"We've already ordered all of the district primary education officers to ensure that primary schools should students from their catchment areas if any kindergarten closes down. No-one should be left out."
The authorities asked the principals of schools to draft a plan for reopening their respective institutions once the COVID-19 crisis is over, said the secretary.
"This plan should cover everything from students' safety to preventing dropouts."
In a bid to stop student dropouts due to the pandemic, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education had previously ordered the authorities to admit students to government primary schools at any point throughout the year, without a transfer certificate.
