Education Minister Dipu Moni said the ongoing closure of schools and colleges in the country will not be extended further as the surge in COVID-19 cases is coming down.

"All educational institutions will be opened very soon...The COVID infection rate has decreased. It is a good news for us. Hope that, the rate will decrease more... "

Minister Dipu Moni said this virtually while speaking at a programme held at Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) in the capital on Saturday.

But the decision will be taken after discussing the matter with the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on COVID-19. The meeting is likely to be held on Tuesday, she added.

Amid the onset of the highly-infectious omicron strain, the government announced the closure of educational institutions on Jan 21.

Initially, the plan was to keep schools closed until Feb 6, but as the situation had not improved as much by then, the curbs on in-person learning and public gatherings were extended to Feb 21.

As infections are on the decline now, parents along with various groups are urging the authorities to return to the classroom in person as soon as possible.

UNICEF has recently made similar calls, highlighting the adverse impacts of learning loss for children.

BDST: 1655 HRS, FEB 09, 2022
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