Yet to receive High Court's school closure order: Nowfel

The education ministry has not received a copy of the High Court order mandating school closures until Thursday due to a heatwave, according to Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury Nowfel.

While the ministry is obligated to comply with the court’s directive, it must be formally notified first, the education minister explained on Tuesday, reports bdnews24.com. 

Nowfel remained non-committal about whether educational institutions would reopen on Thursday following the International Workers' Day holiday on Wednesday.

“We respect the court's decisions, but we’re not in a position to comment because we haven’t seen the order," he said. "Our silence is a sign of respect, not consent.”

The minister disclosed that the ministry learned of the order through media reports and emphasised the necessity of reviewing the order before making decisions.

He mentioned discussions with Attorney General AM Amin Uddin about potentially appealing the order.

“We decided in principle to appeal. But actually, we need to know the order. The court is closed on Thursday, limiting our opportunity to appeal, although we had a chance [Tuesday],” Nowfel added.

Earlier, the ministry had directed the closure of only secondary schools, madrasas, and technical education institutions in five districts on Monday. Despite this, following a broader High Court order issued on Monday, closures were extended to 27 districts on Tuesday.

Addressing reporters at the Secretariat, Nowfel reiterated the education ministry’s constitutional authority over school operational decisions.

“We hold the High Court in high esteem, but it is our executive authority to decide on school closures,” he remarked.

The minister highlighted that multiple agencies - including the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education - are involved in the decision-making process.

Nowfel expressed concerns over the operational challenges that unilateral court orders could pose.

“It’s an operational matter under the executive. Many sides are involved in it. It will be difficult to carry out our operations if we get orders on their own volition,” Nowfel remarked.

He also criticised the court’s decision for its perceived bias, pointing out that while O-Level and A-Level programmes in English medium schools remain open, less affluent segments of the population are disproportionately affected by closures.

“This creates an inequality as children of less privileged families, who are essential to our economy, are unable to attend school,” he argued.

“The Meteorological Department has identified specific districts. Temperatures will rise in some districts and fall in some others,” he noted.

“Sylhet is experiencing rain now. They won’t be able to go to school if there is a flood. But that won’t be a problem for Dhaka.”

Despite the order to keep schools shut in certain districts, some schools remained open.

Nowfel said the ministry would look into the matter.