The government took correct and timely decisions to shut down educational institutions across the country during the peak of Covid-19 pandemic despite pressure from various donor agencies, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni said on Wednesday.
She made the statement at an event organized by 21 national and international development agencies under the banner of “Return to Safe School” campaign in the capital.
Criticizing the donor agencies, the minister said that there was a lot of pressure from various quarters to reopen the schools.
“One must consider the fact that the class size of the schools in Europe and Bangladesh is not the same.
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“My children (students) cannot avail what the European children are getting at home. So when someone shows us a European card, we can’t accept it,” she said.
“We later decided to reopen schools as per the recommendation of the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19,” she added.
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The government would consider the recommendations made by the NGOs and they would be able to work jointly with the government on the various projects for the betterment of the country’s education system, the minister mentioned.
She said: “We may have lagged behind class teachings but we have successfully avoided the potential health risks by keeping the schools closed during the pandemic.”
The pandemic caused a lot of damage to people’s lives but it also brought some changes in modes of education, she observed.
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The government began the “My house, my school” campaign on March 29, 2020 through which it was able to bring 85% of the students under an alternative education program, she added.
Later, the students were told to submit assignments that involved 93% to 94% of academic activities, she said. “There were controversies over this initiative as well.”
