Dhaka, Oct 21 (IANS): Schools and other educational institutions in Bangladesh were unlikely to reopen in November as previously suggested due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Education Minister Dipu Moni said on Wednesday.

When asked about the reopening at a press conference here, the Minister said: "Under the current circumstances, educational institutions are in the process of closing in most of the places where they had reopened.

"There is concern about another wave of the coronavirus everywhere, which is backed by experts. That is why we will discuss the matter with the National Advisory Committee on Covid-19.

"We can reopen schools when we believe that our students, teachers and parents will face little to no health risks. It's difficult to tell at this time when that can happen."

The government had announced the closure of all schools and other educational institutions in the country on March 17 following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, reports bdnews24.

The shutdown period has since been extended on several occasions, most recently until October 31.

Bangladesh has so far reported 390,206 coronavirus cases, with 5,699 deaths.