Habiba Akhter, a fifth grader of Saidampur Primary School in Tangail, could not hold back her excitement of going back to the classroom after spending 18 months at home.
So, even though the roads of Kanchanpur union under Basail upazila were submerged due to the recent flooding, students and teachers alike flocked to schools, braving the floodwaters, by boats.
“I was tired of being stuck at home and waiting for the school to reopen. The day has finally come but the submerged roads due to the flood have disrupted our regular movement. Still, we decided not to miss the first day and rowed a boat to the school, taking a risk,” said Habiba.
Children like her have expressed immense pleasure upon receiving the news of reopening of educational institutions from September 12. The institutions which were closed from March 16 last year reopened after a prolonged period as Covid-19 infections showed a downward trend.
"I started to miss my school and seeing my friends. I couldn't be happier when I met my fellow classmates. Our teachers also warmly welcomed us," said Sejuti Sarker, another student of the school.
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The teachers of the school were also delighted to have the students back. A festive mood swept across the school. Moreover, they were concerned about maintaining the health safety protocols to contain the spread of Covid-19 among the children.
“The school has reopened after a long period. The students attended the classes with great interest. We discussed the importance of maintaining social distance with the students so that they can safely continue their classes,” said Parvin Sultana, principal of Saidampur Primary School.
“On the first day, we took the lessons of grades 5 and 3. In the fifth grade classroom, 29 out of 41 students showed up today,” she added.
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The president of the school's managing committee Abul Kalam Azad said: "We took preparations in advance to reopen the school. The safety measures to prevent coronavirus have been already taken. The students and teachers had to come to the school by boat due to the waterlogged conditions of the area.”
Upazila Primary Education Officer Sadananda Pal said: "Classes have resumed in 69 government primary schools in Tangail upazila."
“One of the schools could not continue classes due to waterlogging. The classes have been shifted to another building,” he added.
