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Bangladesh will shut down all universities starting Monday to speed up the Eid ul-Fitr holiday, aiming to conserve electricity and fuel amidst a worsening energy crisis driven by Middle East conflicts. This shutdown affects both government and private universities nationwide, a measure officials say will cut electricity use and reduce traffic congestion that contributes to fuel wastage.
Campus facilities like dormitories, classrooms, labs, and air conditioning units are significant electricity consumers, and closing early is expected to ease the strain on the power grid. Education institutions, including government and private schools, are already closed for Ramadan, so most schools will remain non-operational during this period.
This decision comes as Bangladesh faces increased uncertainty over fuel and gas supplies due to turbulence in international energy markets caused by ongoing Middle East conflicts. Since the country depends on imports for about 95% of its energy needs, authorities imposed daily fuel sale limits last Friday following panic buying and stockpiling.
In addition, the government has ordered all private coaching centers and foreign curriculum schools to suspend operations temporarily to reduce energy consumption. Gas shortages have already led to the shutdown of four of Bangladesh’s five state-run fertilizer factories, with remaining gas redirected to power plants to prevent widespread outages.
Bangladesh is also purchasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from spot markets at significantly higher prices and seeking additional cargoes to address supply shortfalls. A senior energy official noted, “We are doing everything possible to reduce consumption and maintain power, fuel, and import stability.”
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