Heatwaves keep students away: Low attendance, illnesses plague school reopenings

Two students of Kakoli High School and College in Dhaka's Satmasjid Road go to school holding umbrellas amid extreme heat as schools and colleges open after a week of closure due to heatwave. Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

Rimjhim, a fourth grader at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, stood outside the institute's premises waiting for the school van to take her home.

Although she was sweating profusely, Rimjhim said the heat did not bother her as she wanted to be back at school after a week-long closure since 20 April amid the heatwave sweeping across the country.

"I like doing offline classes. I was excited to return, but most of my friends didn't come," she said.

Sauda, a fifth grader at the same school, also said many of her classmates, including her twin sister, who has chickenpox, could not attend.

"It is too hot. I came because there was supposed to be an exam, but it was cancelled. I won't come tomorrow," she said.

Although schools and colleges across the country opened yesterday, thin attendance was a common factor.

Parents expressed worry about their children's wellbeing in schools amid this ongoing heatwave as well as about completing syllabuses properly. Educationists emphasise the need for a time-befitting policy to tackle both.

With no signs of relent in the heatwave, the government on Sunday (28 April) decided to keep all schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical education institutions in Dhaka, Chuadanga, Jashore, Khulna, and Rajshahi districts closed on Monday (29 April).

However, educational institutions equipped with air conditioning systems may remain open if the authorities want. The education ministry will announce further decisions on the matter on Monday.

Other countries in South and Southeast Asia are also facing scorching heat waves, with temperatures reaching as high as 45°C. As a result, thousands of schools have instructed students to stay home. 

The Philippines yesterday announced it will halt in-person classes at public schools, while in Thailand, power demand reached a record 36,356MW late Saturday. 

Soaring heat and drought have been felt in recent weeks from India, which is carrying out the world's largest election in temperatures that have risen above 40°C.

Schools outside Dhaka

In Rajshahi's BCSIR Laboratory High School, only 100 out of 601 students were present yesterday.

Speaking to The Business Standard, Khulna Govt Iqbal Nagar Secondary Girls School's Headmaster Md Faruqul Islam said, "Our school has 1,800 students. But only 1,000 attended today."

Principal of Nawab Faizunnesa Govt Girls' High School in Cumilla Rasheda Akhter said on usual days, the attendance ranges between 85-90%, but yesterday it was around 60%.

She said 800 students were absent due to the heat.

Some schools – especially those with air-conditioned classrooms – however, saw relatively good attendance.

The Bidyaniketan High School in Narayanganj, for instance, saw 80% attendance.

The student turnout from Class I to Class III was comparatively lower, but it was sufficient in other classes.

Abdus Salam, a member of the school's managing committee, said, "Due to the heat, students have been directed to bring water from home. Every hour, the teacher asks the students to drink water. Besides, students are allowed to wear thin cotton clothes instead of the school uniform.

"However, out of 1,900 students, 300 were absent today."

'Opening school now not right decision'

The matter of opening schools amid the severe heatwave has been a hotly-debated topic.

Educationist and social activist Rasheda K Choudhury firmly believes the right call hasn't been made.

"Advance planning is needed to meet any educational deficit. Opening schools is not the right decision at this moment," she told TBS.

She, however, also said students were attending coaching centres, even though the schools were closed.

"This needs to stop. We need to come up with policies for our teachers so that later they can cover the syllabus with proper classes," she said.

The issue of heatwave across the country – leading to around 35 deaths so far – has raised worries about the health impact on students.

Some of the impact has already been seen.

In Noakhali's Hatiya upazila, where the temperature touched around 32 degrees Celsius, 17 students of a secondary school fell ill due to the extreme heat.

Later, the students were sent home.

Similar incidents of students falling ill were also reported in Munshiganj.

Speaking to the press yesterday, Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel said if the temperature in any district exceeds 42 degrees, the educational institutions of the respective area will be closed.

Are online classes a way out?

Sherin Sultana, a parent of a student of  Viqarunnisa school, looked worried. 

She knew bringing her child in this heat wasn't ideal, but missing school also meant falling behind academically.

"When the school is closed, the students pay little attention to their studies. The closures create a gap and hampers education. We can't control the weather, but I think there is now a need for online classes to ensure the syllabus is completed," she said.

Sripola Tanjim, a guardian of a student at the Delhi Public School Society, said online classes held an advantage at this time.

"Online classes are the best decision during this heat. Heatwaves cause a lot of suffering to the students. It is better to be home and do online classes. My daughter is doing online classes. She wants to go to school, but this heat is intolerable."

A shift to online classes, however, is easier said than done.

The 2023 Education Watch survey said approximately 41% of primary students and over 58% of secondary students reported having internet access, primarily through smartphones.

However, this access did not necessarily reflect the quality of connectivity or the actual level of usage.

Anupoma Ashika, a parent of a sixth grader, said, "My daughter's school is currently closed so she has to study on her own. But it is better to be in the classroom and listen to the teachers with more concentration."

Sania, a student from Daffodil International School, said it was better to do offline classes than online classes.

"I have exams within a month. We are having online classes due to the heatwave. But I understand better when doing classes in school," he said.

In this regard, Educationist Rasheda K Chowdhury said, "It is a matter of concern whether we can ensure the participation of all students if it is an online class. We already have seen the crisis during the pandemic. It is difficult to conduct online classes for all."

She, however, stressed the need to shut schools amid the current heatwave.

"We cannot put our children in danger in such a hostile environment," she said.

According to a report by Unicef in 2021, the closure of schools in Bangladesh from March 2020 to September 2021, followed by another closure in February 2022, disrupted the education of 37 million school children.

A number of students also dropped out during this period. It is feared a prolonged heatwave will further disrupt academic activities.

Our Rajshahi, Narayanganj, Cumilla and Khulna correspondents also contributed to the report.