States have been given a month’s time to ensure all school staff get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, School Education Secretary Anita Karwal said after a meeting with State Education Departments on August 31.
An initial comprehensive assessment of the current levels of vaccination among teachers and non-teaching staff will be available by September 3, according to a senior official. States will then continue to update the information on a weekly basis.
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This comes a week after the Health Ministry announced that two crore additional vaccines would be sent to States by August 31 to vaccinate all teachers and non-teaching staff. Most States have reopened school buildings and started in-person classes for high school students or will do so next month, i.e., in September.
The vaccination strategy was discussed at a virtual meeting chaired by Ms. Karwal on the implementation of the school safety guidelines issued by the National Disaster Management Authority. She advised all States and Union Territories to complete the first dose during September, adding that there must be rigorous follow -p for the second dose as well for those who have received their first jab.
“States and UTs will jointly design a road map at the district level for vaccination of all teaching and non-teaching staff,” said Ms. Karwal, according to an official statement. “The Department of School Education and Literacy is also obtaining the information on vaccination of teachers on weekly basis from States and UTs through a tracker.”
Earlier this month, NITI Aayog member V.K. Paul said almost 50% of the 97 lakh teachers had been vaccinated, though there was no estimate for non-teaching staff.
Most States have launched priority vaccination drives for school staff, with some making it mandatory for teachers to get at least one dose before turning up in classrooms. On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said 95% of teaching and non teaching staff have been vaccinated. Over 98% of Delhi government school teachers have received at least one dose.
No sufficient supply of doses: Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh’s Principal Secretary for school education Alok Shukla told The Hindu that though the State had prioritised teachers as frontline workers requiring vaccination, it did not have a sufficient supply of vaccine doses.
“We have used all the doses we have been given, and have not received any additional doses for teachers as was promised,” said Dr. Shukla, adding that whatever was available needed to be used for the second dose of those who had already got a first dose. “The Centre can only give deadlines, but they are not giving us vaccines. I can’t vaccinate people with a deadline,” he said.
