CBSE, UGC asked to assess vaccination rates among teachers, staff

Immunisation seen as key to reopening educational institutions

Educational bodies under the Central government have been asked to assess the status of COVID-19 vaccination among staff and teachers in schools and colleges, according to a senior Education Ministry official. This comes amid demands from a section of faculty, parents and students that vaccination must be made a pre-requisite for reopening educational institutions to ensure that the infection does not spread on campuses. The official said the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) were among those who had been asked to make such an assessment regarding vaccination of both teaching and non-teaching staff in institutions under their purview. Such data could be key to decisions regarding reopening campuses. These regulatory and administrative bodies have also been asked to provide top-down encouragement and pressure to speed up the rate of vaccinations and move quickly toward 100% coverage. However, the official said that there is no move as of now to set a formal deadline for mandatory vaccination of teachers.