Ministry Weighs Extra Classes to Bridge Learning Gap After Long Eid Break

Following the reopening of government and private offices this Tuesday, educational institutions across the country remain closed as the extended Eid-ul-Fitr vacation continues. While the official holiday is winding down, classroom activities are only set to resume this coming Sunday, accounting for the weekend break on Friday and Saturday.

The prolonged closure of schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical institutions has sparked concerns regarding a "learning deficit" among students. The Ministry of Education is currently evaluating whether additional classes will be mandatory to recover the lost academic hours.

Sources within the Secondary and Higher Education Division noted on Tuesday that, per the original academic calendar, classes were scheduled to continue until the 15th of Ramadan. However, following widespread dissatisfaction among teachers regarding the holiday schedule, educational institutions remained closed for the entirety of the holy month. This has resulted in a significant gap in the curriculum delivery.

"No final decision has been made yet on whether we will adjust future vacation days or schedule extra classes to compensate for the Ramadan break," a ministry official told The Daily Campus on condition of anonymity. "However, the Education Minister is expected to make an official announcement regarding this within the next day or two."

The debate stems from an earlier discrepancy where madrasas were granted a full month of holiday while secondary schools were asked to remain open for the first two weeks of Ramadan. Following protests from teachers citing discrimination in holiday allocations, Education and Primary & Mass Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Huq Milan eventually declared a full month's vacation for all secondary schools.

At the time of the announcement, Dr. Milan hinted that the ministry had already devised alternative strategies to recover the lost study time. Insiders suggest that these measures—likely involving a revised class schedule—will be unveiled by the end of this week or early next week.