As Centre unveils vaccine plan for teens, TN debates school closures

The Centre’s announcement that teenagers between 15 and 18 years of age will be inoculated from January 3 onwards has been welcomed in Tamil Nadu, but the timing of the vaccination drive has raised concerns.

The DMK government is still unsure of conducting board exams for Grades X and XII and the state is also witnessing a rise in Omicron cases.

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Although there is much less likelihood of being hospitalised with an Omicron infection than from Delta, the new variant spreads faster. The Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association recently wrote a letter to the chief minister recommending that classes for students be held online.

“Since the new variant is spreading much faster through aerosol, it’s better to close the schools and colleges,” the association said in its December 23 letter.

Dr N Ravishankar, the secretary of the association, said that although the state is well equipped to handle any surge in COVID cases, it is better to take precautionary measures like shutting down educational institutions and restricting public gatherings.

“By taking these steps, we can prevent hospitals from getting overloaded,” he said.

“Today, for every two streets there is one vaccination camp. In many cases schools are located far away. But vaccination camps are nearer to residential areas. So there will not be any problem for students getting vaccinated.”

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However, PK Ilamaran, state president, Tamil Nadu Teachers Association, said schools provide a protective environment to vulnerable students from underprivileged backgrounds.

“In the last 18 months, many students have discontinued their studies and become child labourers. Many girl students have got married. Some students have seen sexual abuse at home. If only the schools were open, we could have prevented all these damages. When children come to schools, it will be much easier to vaccinate them. So the government should think of setting up camps within school campus,” he said.

Students who get vaccinated in January-February will be eligible for their second dose in March-April – when board exams are held. Asked about this issue, Ilamaran said: “As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, it is still not clear whether the vaccination drive will kick off on the said date. However, with regard to board exams, the government has said that they will be held.” 

Ilamaran said the authorities are yet to decide whether to hold exams online or offline. “That will be decided based on the conditions prevailing at the time. Having said that, the government has also reduced the syllabus,” he said.

State Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan told The Federal that vaccinations for the prescribed age group will be carried out from January 3. However, when asked about the demand put forth by the TNGDA, he refused to comment, stating that the decision of closing the educational institutions cannot be taken by the health department, since it involved various other competent authorities.