UNICEF chief's concerns about fallout of school closure.

Concerns expressed by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore in a statement on Tuesday about the adverse impact of school closure for long indeed echo the public sentiment in general and the parents and teachers in particular. As different media report, she has said that the children cannot afford another year of school disruption due to the global pandemic coronavirus. Moreover, if children are faced with another year of school closures, the effects will be felt for generations to come. According to the UN education- agency chief, the number of out-of-school children is set to increase by 24 million, to a level we have not seen in years. Children's ability to read, write and do basic math has suffered, and the skills they need to thrive in the 21st-century economy have diminished. Worse still, their health, development, safety and well-being are at risk. The most vulnerable among them will bear the heaviest brunt. Without daily interactions with their peers and a reduction in mobility, they are losing physical fitness and showing signs of mental distress. Without the safety net that school often provides, they are more vulnerable to abuse, child marriage and child labour. Meanwhile, suggestion for campus reopening is growing inside the country as well with students getting exasperated for prolonged home-stay. Those who are pleading for campus reopening, including some students and student organizations, point out that all sectors are open and mass political and other gatherings are taking place save only education sector. Additionally, Bangladesh, belying grim predictions, averted such winter waves. Rather the incidence remained low, with the infection rate dropping to the lowest level at 5.0 percent and daily deaths at 16 on Tuesday by official count. All educational institutions have closed their operation since March 17 in compliance with a government order amid a fear of coronavirus infection spread. Since then, the academic activities of crores of students from primary-to tertiary-level institutions have remained suspended. There are some online classes taken by some institutions. But it is limited to very few institutions as most of them...