DHAKA – Bangladesh again closed all primary schools across the country and educational institutions in almost half of districts including the capital as a severe heatwave saw temperatures climb to 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit) on Monday.
Schools across the country that closed last week due to the heatwave reopened on Sunday despite persistent high temperatures across the South Asian nation, which resulted in lower attendance.
Extensive scientific research has found climate change is causing heat waves to become longer, more frequent, and more intense. Average temperatures in the capital Dhaka over the past week have been 4-5 degrees Celsius (7.2-9 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the 30-year average for the same period.
The government said at least seven people had died as a result of the extreme heat since the start of April, with maximum temperatures in the capital forecast to remain above 40 degrees until Thursday. A two-judge bench of the High Court passed an order “closing all primary and secondary schools and madrasas… due to the heatwave,”
