Dhaka, Jun 1 (IANS): Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that school and colleges across the country will reopen only after the coronavirus pandemic was over.

She made the remarks at an event marking the publication of the results of SSC and equivalent examinations on Sunday. Hasina joined the event via video conferencing, reports bdnews24.

"Maybe we won't open the colleges now. We can't open the educational institutions," Hasina said,.

"Because we want to proceed gradually so that the students don't get infected with the coronavirus. They are our future. We can't throw their future into uncertainty.

"That's why we are not opening the educational institutions now. We will do it gradually once we overcome the situation," Hasina added.

Education Minister Dipu Moni also said that it was "impossible for anyone to say" how much more the students will be able to take classes in the current academic year.

"We are considering every possible option. We don't have the time for half-yearly exams. We will try to adjust things like whether to hold the annual exams this year, on which syllabus, or defer the tests to next year.

"Everything depends on when we can reach a state when we can open the institutions," bdnews24 quoted the Minister as saying.

Dipu Moni said the government will try its best to cover the losses in education after reopening the institutions.

The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh has climbed to 650 after 40 new fatalities, the most in a single day, were registered in a daily count.

Another 2,545 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, raising the count to 47,153, according to the health directorate.