Delhi: Education dept asks govt school teachers to get vaccine shots by October 15

In a circular issued on Wednesday evening, education director Udit Prakash Rai said, “It is imperative that the Directorate of Education [DoE] ensures all the government school teachers and staffs get vaccinated on an immediate basis, therefore heads of all government schools of DoE were directed to take necessary steps...on an urgent basis...”

The state government’s education department on Wednesday issued an order asking teachers and staff in its institutions to get vaccinated by October 15, failing which they will not be allowed to attend school.

Currently, students of classes 9 to 12 are allowed to visit schools for in-person classes. The DoE order on vaccination comes on the day the DDMA said it was considering reopening classes 6, 7 and 8 after the festive season. (Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times)

This is likely the first such vaccination mandate issued in the Capital so far.

In a circular issued on Wednesday evening, education director Udit Prakash Rai said, “It is imperative that the Directorate of Education [DoE] ensures all the government school teachers and staffs get vaccinated on an immediate basis, therefore heads of all government schools of DoE were directed to take necessary steps for vaccination of all the government school teachers on an urgent basis via a circular dated June 6.”

Currently, students of classes 9 to 12 are allowed to visit schools for in-person classes. The DoE order on vaccination comes on the day the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said it was considering reopening classes 6, 7 and 8 after the festive season.

The education department also directed heads of schools, as well as district and zonal deputy directors of education to ensure all teachers and staff not yet vaccinated to get jabs by October 15.

“All such teachers and school staff who have not got themselves vaccinated by October 15, 2021 should not be allowed to attend the school and their absence will be treated as on leave,” Rai said in the circular.

Some teachers, however, questioned the leave clause in the circular.

“While everyone should get vaccinated for the fight against Covid, if somebody does not want to get vaccinated for medical or personal reasons, they should not be forced to do so. The law doesn’t permit that,” said Sant Ram, district secretary of the Government School Teachers’ Association (GSTA) in west Delhi-A.

GSTA general secretary Ajay Veer Yadav said most teachers are already vaccinated. “Only a small percentage of teachers remain. The authorities should allow people to file for an exemption if they cannot take the vaccine for medical or personal reasons,” he said.