Schools reopen, but not even 33% of Punjab’s govt teachers fully vaccinated

Punjab reopened schools for all classes from August 2, while for Classes X to XII, schools were opened from July 26 itself.

As per the orders which were issued by Punjab CM Amarinder Singh on July 20, only “those teachers and staff members were to be allowed physically in schools who were fully vaccinated”.

The teachers and district education officers (DEOs) were ordered to upload the data regarding vaccination of teachers, students (18+) and results of Covid random sampling which was ordered in all schools across state.

As per the data accessed by The Indian Express, of the total 1.13 lakh teaching staff of Punjab education department, 65,182 (57.25 per cent) have got at least one dose. Of this, 36,831 (32.34 per cent) teachers have also got their second dose and are now fully vaccinated. However, 28,351 teachers have got only first dose and are waiting for their second dose.

The data indicates that nearly 44 per cent of its overall staff and 42 per cent of teaching staff of Punjab education department has not received even one dose of vaccine till now. (Express)

The data for non-teaching staff shows that of total 12,712 employees, 5,598 have got at least one dose (44.03%). While 2,692 have got second dose too, 2,906 employees have got only one dose.

Overall (teaching and non-teaching staff combined), the state education department has staff of 1.26 lakh employees of which 70,780 are now vaccinated with at least one dose (55.92 per cent), of which 39,523 have got both doses and 31,257 have got just first dose.

The data indicates that nearly 44 per cent of its overall staff and 42 per cent of teaching staff of Punjab education department has not received even one dose of vaccine till now.

Although teachers were not counted among frontline workers and were not given any priority for vaccination initially when the vaccination drive for Covid was kicked off in January this year, later in March, some districts of Punjab such as Ludhiana, included them in frontline workers and started giving them jabs on priority.

Some districts also held vaccination camps in schools to jab teachers and 18+ students on priority but schools were again shut in March after second wave peaked.

Punjab had reopened schools in October last year to February this year (in phased manner) before second Covid wave peaked again.

At least 400 students had also tested positive when schools were opened earlier.

Moreover, the confusion over teachers who can and cannot attend schools physically is now rising . While CM’s statement issued on July 20 had clearly stated that only fully vaccinated teachers can attend schools physically, problems are being faced in implementing the same on the ground, said school principals and heads.

As a result, even those teachers who are not fully vaccinated or haven’t even got even one dose are also coming to school.

“There are many teachers who are waiting for second dose. What is their fault if the mandatory gap between both doses is yet to be covered. They cannot get second dose before completing mandatory gap period. We cannot stop such teachers from coming to schools,” said a government school principal.

Some principals said that they were allowing partially vaccinated or non-vaccinated teachers to conduct ‘online classes’ only from school premises for students who are still not coming to school.

“Only children with written parental consent can come to school so others are still attending online classes. We are allowing partially vaccinated and non-vaccinated teachers to take online classes,” said a head teacher.

Vikram Dev Singh, state president, Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), said that reasons for all teachers not even getting first dose are many.

“Firstly, there is vaccine shortage. Vaccine is not available at the nearest points for most of teachers especially in border districts. The stock arrives in morning and finishes in an hour. Secondly, those who got their first dose as Covishield are not getting second dose easily due to vaccine shortage again. Initially, teachers were not given any preference in vaccination and it is only after vaccination was declared free for all by the Centre, that some camps were held in schools but again they were discontinued,” he said.

“There is vaccine hesitancy among some teachers just like it is there among other people in Punjab. Teachers too are a part of the same society,” he said.

He added that teachers would be protest with full might if government takes any such decision to not allow partially vaccinated or non-vaccinated teachers from coming to schools.

“In some districts, there were efforts to mark such teachers as ‘absent’ who haven’t got vaccinated or are waiting for their second dose. We will protest if any such decision is taken to stop teachers from coming to schools. It is not their fault if there is vaccine shortage. Instead, government should make all efforts to provide vaccines for teachers at the nearest points and hold camps in schools itself,” he said.

“We are not against government’s decision to open schools for all classes because for poor kids, lack of education is even more harmful than this virus. They cannot afford smartphones and pandemic has led to loss of studies. But then government cannot stop teachers from coming to schools due to vaccination because it is not our fault if enough doses are not available,” he said.

“I am myself not vaccinated yet because if I call to enquire at 10 am, then doses are finished by 11 am,” he said.

Dr Rajesh Bhaskar, nodal officer, Covid-19, Punjab, said that limited vaccine stock availability was one the reasons for low vaccination among teachers. “Stock is not available uniformly across all districts and rural health centres because it finishes as soon as it arrives. It is up to education department to allow partially vaccinated or non-vaccinated teachers in schools or not. Health teams are conducting random sampling in all schools,” he said.

As per recent orders issued by director, school education (secondary), At least 10k samples (teachers and students combined) have to be tested daily from government schools.

20 students positive in Ludhiana, 2 schools shut

Eight students from Government Senior Secondary School, New Subhash Nagar (of class XI) and 12 students from Government High School, Kailash Nagar (from class IX &X) tested positive for Covid, following which both schools have been shut for 14 days (till August 24) as per orders of Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner.

Health authorities said that both Rapid Antigen and RT-PCR tests were being conducted in schools across state and random sampling was being done.