#Title
Dhaka ﻿Sunday﻿ ﻿April﻿ ﻿5﻿, ﻿2020﻿, chaitra 22 , 1426 BS

PM’s 31 directives

Easier said than done, but

do we must
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has issued a set of very comprehensive directives. But, as we know, with all directives, there are three phases to it—its issuance, its speedy, efficient and systemic implementation and finally, its strict monitoring. As for the directives, they are comprehensive, insightful and highly relevant. Here, our suggestion is that related directives should be grouped into clusters with specific time frames, within which each cluster will have to be implemented. Without any time frames, they will be limited in their effect.
However, implementation of these directives will be very challenging, since many of them require massive organisational capacity and resources. The test will be in putting the huge infrastructure of the government into action, which we know to be cumbersome, full of inertia, and hierarchical to the extent of being dysfunctional. Our world-recognised experience with disaster management should prove to be useful; remembering however, that traditional disaster management involves only a section of our bureaucracy, whereas now we need the totality of it to come into gear.
Directive 9 calls upon city corporations, municipalities and upazila parishads to undertake cleanliness drives. Since there is a general shutdown, we think now is an ideal opportunity to clean our cities—there will never be such a time of sparse traffic and limited garbage. Will the relevant leaders and institutions rise to the occasion?
Directives 16 and 17 say “supply systems should be maintained” and “general activities will continue and prices of essentials will have to be kept under control”. Both are most important and will need efficient planning, execution and monitoring to achieve.
Directive 21 tasks the pubic representatives and the upazila administration to “distribute food among the distressed people by preparing a ward-based list”. This is a very important directive whose success will greatly depend on the authenticity of the list. Food is what people need most in the beginning and food is where a great amount of corruption takes place. The PM has warned against it, but will this warning be enough? We have already seen several cases of local leaders hoarding rice meant for distribution.
In her final two directives, the PM has asked the media to keep watchful eyes on preventing the spread of rumours. This we are happy to commit to it as it is a part of our professional duty. However, we suggest the setting up of an inter-ministerial monitoring body without which the PM’s directives will not achieve the desired results.

The kids are not alright

We need to keep them engaged
With educational institutions closed for the foreseeable future to curb the spread of coronavirus, children are increasingly becoming restless in their homes, cut off from the outside world, their friends, physical activities and instructions from teachers. Across the country, 3.68 crore students are now stuck at home, unable to complete their lesson plans. Many students, especially younger ones, are finding it difficult to focus on their textbooks, and parents, too, are struggling to home school children given that many don’t have the necessary education, expertise or time to keep them engaged throughout the day. Experts believe that prolonged exposure to stress and boredom can have detrimental impacts on the mental health and productivity of students. It is thus imperative that we find mechanisms to engage and encourage students to make use of their free time in productive ways.
Researchers have suggested that parents establish a predictable, consistent routine at home which replicates the school schedule, to give children a sense of stability as well as enable them to structure and utilise their time more effectively. Children should be engaged in domestic chores which, in addition to teaching them practical life skills, will also instill a sense of responsibility. Parents who have access to the internet can make use of free online resources.
The government has introduced TV education through Sangsad Bangladesh Television for students of sixth to tenth grades to help them complete lesson plans, but similar arrangements have not yet been made for primary and secondary school students. Apart from class lessons, BTV should develop and revive entertainment programmes targeted towards children, which can also be educational. The Ministry of Education could work with BTV and private channels to develop and air programmes for children during school hours, replicating successful models developed by digital learning platforms like the Khan Academy. Schools that have the capacity should develop remote learning programmes and/or provide specific instructions to parents and students on completing lesson plans.
The Ministry of Education should coordinate with specialists to come up with a comprehensive plan on how to address the long-term repercussions of the ongoing crisis, as well as on how to reach students who may not have access to TV and digital programming. The ministry should also take a decision as soon as possible about pending exams to ease the uncertainty and anxieties faced by students.