E-Paper
36% students in Chandigarh colleges yet to receive Covid shot
As the second Covid wave has ebbed away, the UT administration is preparing the unlock plan for city colleges in August
Out of around 23,000 responses received, as many as 36% students of UT colleges are yet to receive the Covid vaccine.
The data was recently compiled by the UT higher education department upon receiving the figures from around 16 colleges including technical institutions in Chandigarh.
The officials, however, said that the number of vaccinated students may have increased after the education department started Covid vaccination camps last week at three city colleges, mainly for students.
As the second Covid wave has ebbed away, the UT administration is preparing the unlock plan for city colleges in August. As per this plan, at least a single dose of Covid vaccine will be mandatory to attend the classes for both students and college staff.
As per the data, the response from over 5,000 postgraduate students was received out of which over 50% students are yet to get vaccinated.
For more than a year now, city colleges have remained largely shut. Some colleges reopened in November last year, but didn’t evoke much response from the students.
When the first wave had subsided in February this year, the administration had decided to reopen all colleges. However, the second wave descended soon after in March, thwarting UT’s plan.
UT secretary, education, Sarpreet Singh Gill said, “We have already started camps in colleges. We will issue instructions to colleges making vaccination mandatory for those who want to attend the college.”
Covid vaccination camps are already operational at three city colleges, but it is likely that another camp for students may be started. A college principal, on condition of anonymity, said, “The number of students getting vaccinated is increasing daily. We are also urging students to get jabbed so that colleges can function in a hybrid mode.”
