The archbishop of Dhaka is urging the Bangladeshi government to reconsider a proposal to introduce online classes for school students amid the countryʼs ongoing energy crisis, warning that the move would undermine education at the hundreds of institutions run by the Catholic Church. Source: EWTN News.
“We Christians in Bangladesh run many educational institutions,” Archbishop Bejoy DʼCruze OMI said.
“Along with academic subjects, we focus on morals, values, and good character. When we hear about online classes, we become worried about where this system will take our students.”
The archbishop made the remarks while exchanging Easter greetings with Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, on Easter Sunday. He said Catholic school principals and headmasters remain deeply concerned about the impact of online learning on children.
The proposal comes as Bangladesh faces energy shortages linked to global instability in the Middle East. To reduce electricity consumption and ease pressure on infrastructure, the government is considering partial online learning in selected educational institutions.
However, Catholic leaders say the experience of online education during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed serious limits, especially for students’ academic and moral formation.
Students say online classes make it harder to understand lessons and stay focused.
“I have difficulty understanding lessons when classes are online,” said Sonnet Gomes, a student at a missionary school in Dhaka. “I want to go to school and take classes physically.”
Catholic teachers echo these concerns and say online learning often leads to poor attendance and weak engagement.
“If the government orders online classes, we will obey,” said Cornelius DʼCruze, vice principal of Heed International School in Dhaka. “But honestly, online classes are not effective. Many students skip classes. Parents go to work, and children spend most of the time on their phones.”
According to the Catholic Directory of Bangladesh, the Catholic Church in the country runs one university, 17 colleges, 60 high schools, and nearly 300 primary and technical schools.
The education minister said online classes would not be introduced nationwide at once but would begin on an experimental basis in selected institutions.
FULL STORY
Amid Bangladesh energy crisis, Catholics oppose online classes proposal (By Sumon Corraya, EWTN News)
