By Md Ariful Islam
The current world is going through a special situation in terms of education. About one billion students in the world are not able to go to educational institutions. Education activities have been stagnant for a long time. The possibility that this stagnation will end in the near future is also slim. Such a situation has been termed as 'Global Educational Emergency' by academics and concerned people.
The mankind has not seen such a state of emergency from generation to generation. Turning the pages of history, one can be informed about some pandemic of unforgettable times. The idea is that even then there may have been such a global educational emergency.
The Corona pandemic is circling global boundaries. Asian countries, starting from China, have identified all the countries of the planet. Countries in Europe, America, Asia, Australia and Africa have been continuously affected. The rate of infection did not run parallel everywhere. In Europe, the rate of infection has not increased in the Americas, but in Asia and Africa. Again, when the outbreak has increased in Asia and Africa, the European countries are somewhat more stable
Let's talk about Scotland. The situation in Scotland is fairly stable. Teachers and students are being kept under extra surveillance by opening educational institutions. Everyone is following the hygiene rules. Emphasis has been placed on 'on-demand testing'. Even if there are no symptoms, any person in the educational institution can take the test for free at any time. Their priority is also being ensured in the medical field. They are looking at the future of the students with care for the safety of life.
However, the picture in Bangladesh is different. Infection in Bangladesh is currently on the rise. This time is considered the 'peak time' of the infection. Being a poor country in the third world, most of the people have to go to work for their livelihood More population has become poisonous on the knees. Many are not following the hygiene rules and again it is not possible for many. Public health is at high risk. In this situation, opening educational institutions by drawing analogies of other countries is very childish.
The picture of all those countries is different from Bangladesh. In those countries, there are no overcrowded people, the people of the country do not have the courage to disobey the rules of health, the reality of health care is also different.
The first country to reopen educational institutions needs to be wary of Israel. Israel is the first country to open an educational institution in dire straits. Due to the low rate of infection, the educational institutions of that country were opened. Within weeks, Israel was forced to close again. The number of victims increases at a compounding rate. They called it a big failure for them
.Eli Waxman, president of Israel's National Security Council on epidemics and a professor at the Yezman Institute of Science, has advised other countries around the world not to open educational institutions. He said, "They definitely should not do what we have done, it was a major failure"
The coin also has an inverted side, There is also a detrimental aspect to the long delay in opening an educational institution. Many children and adolescents in this poor country do not have enough to eat twice a day. They are deprived of 'free school meal' and have to wear hard. They have to be starving. Loneliness is affecting the mental health of many. Besides, many students are becoming unaccustomed to educational activities due to long breaks. Many have gone to work to make a living. Has taken the helm of the family.
Many are again going astray by engaging in various misdeeds. If the educational institution opens after a long time, many students may drop out. May express reluctance to come back to the educational institution. They may be ready to continue the work they have become accustomed to. There are such examples in many war-torn countries of the world. Many students did not sit in the classroom again due to the closure of educational institutions for a long time. Has chosen a new profession.
According to UNESCO, at least thirty million students are unlikely to return to school after the pandemic. So care must be taken so that premature education does not ruin life.
Teachers and parents have to play a vital role in this. Must have engagement with children and students. Regular supervision is required. We need to be motivated to continue our educational activities at home.It has to play a helpful role in keeping mental health healthy. Education should be given priority to life. Both education and life must be saved.
The writer is a student of Anthropology department at Dhaka University.