Higher Educational Institutions request for students to be vaccinated before returning to campus: Many of the Higher Educational Institutions in India including the Indian
the students and staff members against is the way forward for the institutions to ensure their safety before they return to the campus.
With the educational institutions in the country remaining closed for several months many of the higher educational institutions have been operating in a blended mode considering the COVID-19 pandemic while a few of the IITs have limited students staying on the campus at the moment.
Student vaccination a necessity
IIT Guwahati Director TG Sitharam while speaking to the media stated that Vaccinations seem to be the most immediate and critical thing to do for everyone to stop the spread of Coronavirus. He further added that at IIT Guwahati the students, faculty, and staff should be given the vaccinations to ensure a smooth reopening of the campus and the safe return of the students as the cases reduce ensuring uninterrupted learning.
The same opinions were shared by directors of other IITs including IIT Madras – Bhaskar Ramamurthi who stated that if the students who are on the residential campuses get vaccinated it will reduce the risk of reopening hostels and starting classes on the campus.
Vaccinations for University students
As per reports, sources have mentioned that a few of the IIT Directors have raised a request in a meeting with Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to speed up the vaccination process of the students so that they return to the university campuses.
Director Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal Director Siva Umapathy stated that the institution is a residential campus proposes to bring back the students who have received at least the first dose of the vaccination. The Director further added that based on this the institute will follow the guidelines issued by the government and appreciate the support from the government for the availability of vaccination.
The Department of Higher Education last month wrote to the Health Ministry requesting special provisions to vaccinate faculty, staff members, and students of Centrally Funded Technical Institutions including IITs, NITs, IIMs, IISc, and others.
A request to vaccinate the students to facilitate their return to the campuses was placed by the higher educational institutions before the immunization drive was allowed for those below the age of 45 which was however turned down by the ministry.