STAFF CORRESPONDENT

After a difficult 2020, the county’s education sector returned to some degree of normalcy last year.

For students, it had been a tough year, as they could not return to their classrooms until September because of Covid restrictions that began way back in March, 2020.

Students in general suffered learning loss and those lacking access to digital devices were deprived of remote learning.

However, the reopening of classrooms on a limited scale in September was a relief. But the emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has put a fully-fledged reopening of schools into uncertainty.

“Every sector was affected by the pandemic. Education probably is the worst-affected sector because of the prolonged closure,” eminent educationist Rashed K Choudhury told The Daily Star.

Girl students suffered the most. Many girls dropped out and were married off, she said.

A study by Power and Participation Research Centre and Brac Institute of Governance and Development on October 19 said 3.96 million primary and 3.9 million secondary students were at the risk of learning loss.

A report published in December last year by the World Bank, Unesco and Unicef projected the impacts of the pandemic-related school closure, saying a generation of students risks losing $17 trillion in lifetime earnings in present value, or about 14 percent of the global GDP.

During the 18 months of closure, many schools, especially the privately run ones in cities and urban areas quickly adapted to online education. But school in rural areas found it difficult.

CHANGES IN EXAM SYSTEM

The SSC and HSC exams were held on a curtailed syllabus after a nine-month delay. The SSC exams began on November 14, marking the resumption of public tests. The HSC and equivalent exams began on December 2.