Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Saturday said classes in urban areas will be conducted through a blended system – both offline and online – to help conserve electricity amid the war-induced global crisis.

“We will run classes in urban areas in both offline and online modes to save power,” he said while speaking at a view-exchange meeting with centre secretaries of the Cumilla Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, as well as technical and madrasah boards of the region, at the Cumilla Shilpakala Academy.

The minister said a meeting with guardians will be held on Sunday to finalise the plan and gather feedback.

Highlighting the broader shift in the education system, he said the sector is moving towards a “penless and paperless” model, adding that the government aims to advance in line with modern information technology.

Addressing the issue of exam malpractice, Milon said adopting unfair means has existed since 1972, but stressed that it will be strictly prevented this time. “We stopped it in 2001-2006, and we will not allow it again,” he said, urging teachers to play a proactive role in eliminating it completely.

Cumilla Education Board Chairman Md Shamsul Islam delivered the welcome speech at the event.

MPs Manirul Haque Chowdhury, Md Mobasher Alam Bhuiyan, Md Abul Kalam, Md Jashim Uddin and MA Mannan, along with Technical Education Board Chairman Ruhul Amin, Madrasah Education Board Chairman Miah Md Nurul Haque, Deputy Commissioner of the district Reza Hasan and Superintendent of Police Md Anisuzzaman, among others, were present.