Three private schools in the city — one in Koramangala and two in K.G. Halli — have been issued notice for failing to cooperate with the government in the measles-rubella (MR) vaccination drive, which will kick off on Tuesday.
Doctors and officials from the Department of Health and Family Welfare as well as the Department of Primary and Secondary Education were allegedly not allowed entry to these schools to conduct awareness drives. Education Department officials have also made a list of nearly 17 additional schools, which they say are not cooperating with them.
Several private school managements told officials that a majority of the parents of students there had not consented to the vaccination drive, saying their children have already been vaccinated with the older version of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. But what surprised officials was the response from a few top school managements, who told them that they did not have space to accommodate the drive.
The Statewide drive is set to begin across schools, anganwadis and government healthcare facilities, but several private school managements have been stonewalling officials. “The three schools that we issued notice to have also not given us a list of students under the age of 15 who are eligible for MR vaccination. They have only now fallen in line and given us dates,” an official from the Department of Primary and Secondary Education said.
The notices — issued by the Block Education Officers concerned — state that if the schools do not cooperate on the drive, action would be initiated against them.
Some school managements said they were having a tough time convincing parents to vaccinate their children. It was only after meetings were arranged with doctors and parents that they changed their minds, an official said.
