Holidays weekly in educational institutions for two days

Due to the global crisis, the government is taking various steps to save energy in the country. Efforts are being made to provide area-wise load shedding through scheduling and to be cost-effective in power and energy consumption in public and private offices. To save electricity, the government is now thinking of making weekly holidays two days in all educational institutions; Although it is not finalized yet.

When there is talk of giving more importance to the issue of filling up the lack of learning that has been caused due to the closure of Sasari class activities in educational institutions for almost two years due to the situation of corona infection, there has been a mixed reaction among the education-related people on the idea of ​​making a weekend holiday for two days in all educational institutions. Some educationists said that it would not be logical to make two days of weekly holiday in educational institutions at the moment. Rather, it is important to implement the plans that are being taken now to fill the lack of education. However, according to the previous announcement, they think that it is right to make the weekly holiday two days from next year by fixing the learning hours in the light of the new curriculum.

According to some, if the weekend is extended by one day to two days, it is also possible to fill this deficiency with assignments (giving homework to students). 

The matter of two days of weekly holiday in educational institutions came to the fore from a statement by Education Minister Dipu Moni. In an event in Dhaka last Friday, he said, to save electricity, it is being considered whether weekly holidays can be made for two days in educational institutions. However, no decision can be made at this moment. Maybe the decision will be announced soon.

"At present, it would not be logical to have a two-day weekend in all educational institutions. Because the lack of education is now clear. Therefore, more importance should be given to the implementation of the plan that has been made to meet this deficiency.

SM Hafizur Rahman, Evaluation Specialist and Professor, Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka.

 Due to the corona epidemic, direct teaching was stopped in all educational institutions for about 18 months from March 2020. However, there was an effort to continue the activities of teaching students in various ways including taking classes on television, radio and online at that time of closure; Although all the students of all areas could not participate equally in these activities.

During the corona epidemic last year, more than half of the secondary schools in the country were absent from the annual examination about 4 lakh 81 thousand students. Among them, more than 47,000 girls have had child marriages. And about 78 thousand students are involved in child labor.

According to a recent study by Bangladesh Examination Development Unit (BEDU), a government organization, more than half of the students (currently studying in ninth grade) studying in the eighth grade in the 2021 academic year during the Corona pandemic have developed moderate and high learning deficits in Bengali, English and mathematics, which are said to be filled by the In research. However, the situation is worse in the three districts of the hilly regions.

Taking the data of Bedu's research into consideration, the Ministry of Education has made a detailed action plan to fill the gap in education through the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB). It is about to be implemented now. According to NCTB, each educational institution has to conduct a total of 47 additional classes including 15 in Bengali, 17 in English and 15 in Mathematics. And since the rate of deficient students is high in Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban, more and more additional classes have to be arranged for those areas.

Educationists say Bedu only conducted the study on eighth-graders. But almost all classes of students have lacked learning during the corona virus. Apart from this, a report by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (MAUSI)'s monitoring and evaluation wing says that during the Corona epidemic, about 481,000 students in more than half of the country's secondary schools were absent from the annual examination last year. Among them, more than 47,000 girls have had child marriages. And about 78 thousand students are involved in child labor. The exact reason for the absence of others is not known. 

In such a situation, there is a discussion about the idea of ​​making a two-day weekend in all educational institutions, including rural and urban, to save electricity.

Therefore, more importance should be given to the implementation of the plan that has been made to meet this deficiency. Besides, it has already been said that load shedding will reduce from September. There will be trouble in the teaching schedule if the weekly holiday is now two days in the educational institutions. However, in the light of the new curriculum, he supports the decision to make the weekly holiday two days in all educational institutions from next year.

"The government is thinking of such a special situation for the energy problem. If this is the case, then there won't be much of a problem. A day's shortfall can also be made up by assignments. Assignments were also given during Corona.

Prof. Syed Ghulam Farooq, Former Director General, Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education.

Universities in the country now generally have a two-day weekend. In some educational institutions of secondary and higher secondary, the weekend is two days. But as per government decision, weekend is one day. For this, currently most of the primary and secondary schools have a one-day weekly holiday.

When asked about the thought of having a two-day weekend in all educational institutions, the former director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, Professor Syed Ghulam Farooq told that the government is thinking of doing this in special circumstances due to the energy problem. If it does, he doesn't think there will be much of a problem. He said that one day's shortfall can also be made up through assignments. Assignments were also given during Corona.

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