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Coronavirus fallout shuts kindergartens


Published : 22 Oct 2020 09:26 PM | Updated : 23 Oct 2020 12:50 AM

The students, guardians and teachers of thousands of Kindergarten schools are worried and in an ambiguity as there is no academic activities at Kindergartens since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Online classes are being held by some educational institutions but it can hardly bring any hope to the kindergarten students as they are too young to understand lessons through online classes.

Students have been passing a leisure time due to a lack of proper monitoring and guideline.It will be very tough to fill the learning gap of the students, experts said.

On the other hand, a large number of kindergarten schools are going to shut as the school authorities are unable to bear the cost of their institutions, sources said.

According to Bangladesh Kindergarten Association, at least one thousand kindergartens in the country have already closed. Some 20,000 more kindergarten schools are in a fear of shut down by December if they situation does not improve.

There are about 60,000 playschools all over Bangladesh with about one crore students. And, 90 percent of these schools are not offering online classes to their students.

Many kindergarten teachers claimed, “There are thousands of teachers who are passing a miserable life as most of the kindergarten schools did not pay them since March.”

There are about 10 lakh kindergarten teachers and staff members across the country. Most of them have changed their professions. They are earning their livelihood either by doing small business or other jobs.

However, many school authorities decided to sell their schoolsas they could not bear the regular costs of the schools including house rent, teachers’ payment and so on.

The number of students at Scholars International School in the city’s Jurain area is 180. The rent for this school is Tk 30 thousands per month. 

The director of the school, Emon Ahmed, said, “I have not received any tuition fees since March. We hoped that the school will regain its pace through annual examinations. If the school does not open this year, we will have to shut the school for good.”

Md Shaon, a third grader of Fulkuri Kindergarten School in the capital city, has been remained out of the touch of study since March. Now he spends most of his time in the grocery store with his father.

Shaon’s father Md Abdul Bari, told Bangladesh Post, “I don’t get time to tech my child. My wife do not read and write. That’s why I sent my son to kindergarten instead of government school so that he can learn there well. But since the school’s closure, my son’s study has been stopped.”

Meanwhile, it has been announced that Junior School Certificate (JSC), Primary Education Completion (PEC) and HSC examinations will not be held this year. The annual examinations for the students of class six to nine of the secondary schools will also not be taken this year. 

“In this situation, Kindergarten schools are facing serious difficulties to run the show. Because most of the children of low-income and poor families study in these schools. Most of them will not pay any tuition fees without sitting for exams,” kindergarten authorities feared. 

M Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury, Chairman of Bangladesh Kindergarten School and College Oikkya Parishad, told Bangladesh Post, “We don’t get tuition fees. We can’t pay the salary of teachers and staff.  As a result, we are not able to keep the students on the track of study. Students are not watching TV classes or studying now.”

He also said, “At present, normalcy has returned in the country's offices-courts, markets, garment factories, buses, trains, launches, parks and other places. Qawmi Madrasahs have also been reopened. English medium schools are conducting tests. So, where is the problem to open a kindergarten school maintainingsocial distancing and following proper hygiene rules?”

In this regard, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education Akram-al-Hossain told Bangladesh Post, “There is no option for any school to think differently. All schools will reopen together. Classes are currently being broadcast on television and radio. Our government school teachers are looking after their students.”

He also said, “Students, whose Kindergarten schools have already closed, or whose parents have moved to the village, will be able to get admitted in government schools without taking any Transfer Certificate (TC). We have already issued a circular in this regard. We want all students to go to government primary schools. Our schools have the capacity to accommodate more primary level students.”