Students, teachers demand free shots

New Delhi: Student organisations have demanded access to free vaccinations for students, both in schools and universities, in view of the second wave of Covid, which affected young people equally harshly. While Delhi has been struggling to get vaccines for young people, students have said that the government should work on providing the vaccination for free.

"Start vaccinating students free of cost and take it up on war-footing so as to complete the process before commencement of schools and colleges. Ensure vaccination for all students including teachers and other staff who come under the age group as prescribed by the medical experts across the world," All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO) General Secretary Sourav Ghosh has said.

The demand is being raised by students who feel that free vaccination is the right of all citizens and not just any particular group.

"Free vaccination and access to Covid resources is a basic human right of any citizen and should be provided to people of all ages, but now when they have already taken money to vaccinate adults, at least students who are equally vulnerable should be provided with free vaccination. What if schools and universities reopen, how are they going to save children from Covid 19? How will a child, especially belonging to marginalised community or having lost both their parents to the virus, afford it?," Harpuneet Kaur, a Delhi University student told Millennium Post. The same thought was echoed by teachers, who said that students were equally, if not more, affected by the pandemic.