Sharjah24 – AFP: Children in Bangladesh flooded back into classrooms on Sunday as schools reopened after 18 months, one of the world's longest coronavirus shutdowns.
The resumption came after UNICEF warned that prolonged school closures during the Covid-19 crisis were worsening inequities for millions of children across South Asia.
In the capital Dhaka, students at one school were welcomed with flowers and sweets, and told to wear masks and sanitise their hands. Some hugged each other in excitement.
At the gate, school officials checked the body temperatures of students before allowing them to enter.
Only 41 percent of Bangladesh's 169 million population have smartphones, according to the country's telecom operators' association, which means millions of children cannot access online classes.
Even with smartphones, students in many of Bangladesh's rural districts do not have the high-speed internet access usually required for e-learning.
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