Varsities to soon submit database of vaccination status

Kolkata: To facilitate student vaccination programmes in state the universities in the city will soon submit a database of vaccination status of its teachers, students and non-teaching staff as per the directions of Higher Education department.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already announced that the government may open up educational institutions for physical classes after the puja holidays, provided the pandemic situation in state is under control.

"We have held a number of camps and have completed vaccination of all teaching and non-teaching staff. The database of the students' vaccination status has already been prepared and the Registrar has forwarded the same to the state government. All the eight campuses of the university are being cleaned and sanitisation is being carried out. We are taking all measures to ensure that campus can be opened up for the students as soon as we get the nod of the state government," Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee, Vice-Chacellor of CU said.

CU had earlier written to the state Health department and Kolkata Municipal Corporation urging them to arrange inoculation of the students.

Jadavpur University (JU) has uploaded a form seeking vaccination status of teachers' non-teaching staffs and students for compiling a database.

"We have already vaccinated the specially–abled students but that number is not more than 150. We have more than 11,000 students and we are completely in the dark whether they have received the jab or not. Majority of the teaching and non-teaching staff however, has been inoculated," JU Registar Sneha Manju Basu said.

She added that the database regarding vaccination status will be sent by Tuesday.

JU has already formed a committee which will come up with measures on how to open up campus in strict adherence to Covid protocols.

A section of students had agitated demanding opening of campus.

"We can open up campus only when the Education department allows us to do so. But we are ensuring that the campus which has been closed for students since March last year is properly sanitised," Suranjan Das, JU Vice-Chancellor said.

Das visited classrooms, laboratories and took stock of the repair work that needs to be undertaken for reopening of campus maintaining Covid health protocols on Saturday.

"The university will respond appropriately on the issue of opening physical classes after getting specific direction and public health guidelines from the government. We have asked all concerned sections to cooperate so that the vaccination status database can be compiled at an earliest and forwarded to the Higher Education department," Debajyoti Konar, Registrar of Presidency University

said.