Dhaka, Aug 27 : Battered by the raging Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh has extended`the closure of all secondary and higher secondary educational institutions. Bangladesh's Ministry of Education said in a statement on Thursday that the government had extended the closure of the institutions till September 11, reports Xinhua news agency. Previously in phases the government extended the closure of the educational institutions to August 31 due to the worsening Covid-19 situation. According to the statement, the latest decision was taken after consideration of the safety of school and college students, teachers, institution employees and guardians. On the other hand, the government has announced the reopening of the universities in the country from October 15. Education Minister Dipu Moni made the announcement after a high-level meeting on Thursday, saying relevant authorities must complete vaccination of their students and teachers before reopening their universities from October 15. Bangladesh first announced on March 16 last year to close all educational institutions in the country in an effort to halt the spread of the Covid-19. Since March last year, the virus has spread to nearly every Bangladeshi district, and the total number of cases has risen to 14,82,628 with 25,729 deaths so far. /IANS