Special Correspondent: The decision to reduce the working hours in the new curriculum in 2021 to two days of weekly leave for primary and secondary level schools and higher secondary level colleges is going to be final. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Administration has finalized the draft list of holidays for the 2021 academic year. The proposed list will be presented to the Cabinet soon for approval.

If the Cabinet approves the list, it will be published in the form of a notification from the concerned ministry. According to the approved curriculum on the basis of this holiday, all educational activities including next year's class-holiday-examination will be conducted.

According to the draft list, in 2021, the general leave is 14 days and the executive order leave is eight days. Although there are 22 days of general and executive order holidays, there will be weekly holidays on Friday and Saturday. The two-day weekly holiday will be effective in primary schools and public and private educational institutions at the secondary and higher secondary levels. Under the existing system, there is a weekly holiday in the educational institution only on Fridays.

The Ministry of Public Administration will issue a notification in this regard subject to the approval of the Cabinet. Then the process of printing the calendar will start in 2021. Various non-governmental organizations will also publish calendars following public holidays.

An official of the Ministry of Public Administration told the media that the list of government office holidays for 2021 has been finalized. It was sent to the Prime Minister's Office for approval. The Prime Minister has agreed to this. If all goes well, the holiday list may be presented to the next cabinet meeting for approval. That is why it has already been sent to the cabinet department.

According to the concerned, the Ministry of Public Administration has prepared a draft list of holidays for 2021 in coordination with the calendar of 1426-28 prepared by Bangla Academy, list of various religious episodes of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Meteorological Department and Arabic list of Islamic episodes every month.

According to the list, Shabe Barat will be celebrated on Monday, March 29, Shabe Qadr on Monday, May 10, Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday, May 20, Eid-ul-Azha on Tuesday, July 20, Ashura on Thursday, August 19, and Eid Miladunnabi on Tuesday, October 19.

Holidays include national holidays and important religious days for different communities. This holiday also includes six weekly holidays. There are four Fridays and two Saturdays. On the occasion of Bengali New Year and various important religious days, there will be eight days public holiday in the executive order. The executive order includes one day of weekly leave (Saturday) between holidays. So even though the general leave and executive order leave is 22 days, due to Friday and Saturday (weekly leave) this leave is practically 15 days.

As always, Republic employees have the opportunity to enjoy three days of optional leave on the occasion of the religious festival. Similarly, the provision of two days optional leave on the occasion of the main social festival of the employees belonging to various small ethnic groups working in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and beyond is also in force.