Primary schools to keep two-day weekend, cut 'unnecessary' holidays for more 'contact hours'
The government will also resume the midday meal scheme in government primary schools across 150 upazilas in early October
The two-day weekly holiday at primary schools will remain in place, but other breaks in the academic calendar will be reduced, Primary and Mass Education Adviser Professor Dr Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar said today (7 September).
"To ensure learning at schools, we need to focus on 'contact hours' – the amount of time teachers spend with pupils. This depends on how many days schools remain open. At present, schools operate around 180 days out of 365, which is far too low," he told a press conference at the Secretariat marking International Literacy Day.
Other holidays will be curtailed to increase classroom time, he said, stressing that improving literacy at the primary level is a key objective of the ministry.
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"There are many unnecessary breaks. We are working jointly with the Ministry of Education to rationalise the academic calendar. This must be a coordinated effort," he added.
Asked whether the weekly holiday might be reduced from two days to one, the adviser replied, "For now, our priority is to cut other breaks in the calendar. Reducing the weekly holiday would affect all educational institutions equally, so it is not feasible to apply that only to primary schools.
"There are also demands from teachers, who are currently in a vacation-based system. Changing that would involve financial implications for the government."
Midday meal programme to resume in October
The government will also resume the midday meal scheme in government primary schools across 150 upazilas in early October, the adviser said.
"The midday meal initiative will go ahead. It will resume shortly in 150 upazilas," he said.
Earlier, the government had announced the introduction of midday meals in those upazilas by January.
Explaining the delay, Poddar said, "We prepared the DPP [Development Project Proposal] based on previous BBS data. After placing it at ECNEC, new statistics from BBS were released, which altered poverty classifications in several regions. As a result, we had to revise and resubmit the proposal, which caused some delay."
Procurement and training are already underway, he noted, expressing hope the scheme will begin by late September or early October.
According to the adviser, the meals will consist of five items, including eggs, seasonal fruits, biscuits and milk.
