Berkley Center

The importance of innovative and lasting policy solutions to COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts on Bangladesh’s education sector must be reiterated. This will require first and foremost a nuanced, evidence-based appreciation of the current strengths and weaknesses of the education system. Current policies and practices are still premised on “normal” conditions, but these are critically challenged in this unprecedented time. While the pandemic’s devastating impacts put at risk some of the achievements of the education sector, the disruption also offers opportunities for policy-makers and other stakeholders to reflect on how education, as a public good, can contribute meaningfully to the making of a cohesive and pluralistic Bangladeshi society. This article was published on page 22 in WhiteBoard (December 2020), a quarterly policy magazine in Bangladesh.