Bangladesh will close schools for one more day each week and reduce office hours to ease an electricity shortage, a government official says.
Last month, the South Asian nation started daily two-hour power cuts.
Protesters have taken to the streets in recent weeks after the government raised petrol prices by more than 50%.
The war in Ukraine has driven up the cost of importing fuel and taken a toll on Bangladesh’s economy and foreign currency reserves.
On Monday, Bangladesh Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said that schools – which were previously only closed on Fridays – would now also be shut on Saturdays.
Under normal circumstances, schools in Bangladesh are open for six days a week – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, BBC reports.