At least 18,465 non-government primary schools closed their doors for good in 2021 and 2022 due to what officials said were the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic.
Primary school teachers around the country are struggling to survive on meagre salaries, with many opting to leave the profession altogether. An assistant teacher under Grade-13 of the government wage board gets only Tk17,500 per month, while a head teacher makes Tk19,000. Although for both posts one needs to have completed a three-year degree or have an honours
Covid-19 has taken a heavy toll on privately run primary schools, resulting in permanent closure of 14,111 of the institutions just in one year as they failed to bear the operational costs, says a government report.
The reopening of educational institutions last month brought a ray of hope to Kaiser Ahmed’s life that was turned upside down in the 18-month-long Covid-19 induced school closure.