The National Committee for the Protection of Kindergarten and Equivalent Schools has demanded reopening of schools by October 17.
It also urged the government to allocate incentives for educational entrepreneurs, and soft loans for the survival of institutions.
The committee made the demand at a press conference at the National Press Club on Sunday.
It demanded that schools be reopened by October 17 and financial aid be provided in compliance with the prime minister’s allocated financial aid plan, meant to help 800,000 teachers and staff working in about 40,000 kindergartens which are affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The committee also demanded that schools are reopened in compliance with guidelines of hygiene and the provision of annual assessment examinations for students in their respective schools.
Also read: Dhaka schools: To open or not to open?
National Committee convener Mizanur Rahman Sarkar said: “Kindergarten teachers do not enjoy the same level of patronage from the government compared to primary school teachers despite reading the same books and achieving relatively good results in Primary Education Completion (PEC) examinations. This inequality cannot continue.”
“Currently, the country's offices, courts, markets, garments, transports, etc are all back to normal operation. There have been no reports of increased infections,” he added.
“Since O level and A level examinations are being allowed, what is the problem with opening kindergarten schools according to hygiene rules? The level of Covid-19 infection in the country is now much more tolerable than at any other time during the pandemic. Therefore, kindergarten schools should be declared open by October 17,” said Secretary GM Jahangir Kabir Rana.
If the government does not meet their demands, protests including human chains and hunger strikes will occur, said the committee.
Thousands of kindergarten schools have closed down amidst the pandemic as they were unable to pay rent.
Some of the teachers are even being forced to change their line of work. It is a bad sign for the state, added the committee.
