Govt plans two-day weekly holiday in educational instts to save power

The government plans to introduce a two-day weekly holiday in educational institutions across the country soon to save energy, said Education Minister Dipu Moni on Friday, report agencies

A two-day weekend is set to be introduced in 2023, she said.

"We are thinking about implementing a two-day weekend to save electricity. No decision has been made yet, but we are thinking about it. A decision may be announced soon," she told reporters while responding to a question at an event in the city.

As the war in Ukraine sent fuel prices spiralling in the international market, Bangladesh decided to shut power generation using diesel and introduced rolling power outages to save electricity. The government also announced staggered weekly holidays for industrial hubs to reduce the frequency and length of power cuts.

The ongoing power crisis has opened the government up to scrutiny from various quarters. Not all of the government's decisions will be popular, but practising austerity now will stand the country in better stead in the long run, said Dipu Moni.