Schools across 22 states, UTs reopened for all students, 92% teachers vaccinated

Over 92 per cent of the teaching personnel in India have been vaccinated, the Union Education Ministry said on November 2, 2021.

Considering the decline in the COVID-19 cases, at least 22 states and Union Territories reopened schools for all students. Schools and other educational institutions faced a prolonged closure due to the Covid pandemic. According to the official press release, over 92 percent of the teaching personnel in India have been vaccinated, the Union Education Ministry said on November 2, 2021. The reopening of schools was reviewed by the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The minister called for restoring normalcy in educational institutions in view of rapid inoculations in the county.

The press release stated that the data shared by the ministry reveals while over 92 percent of teaching personnel have been vaccinated across the country, the Centre-run institutes have recorded 96 per cent vaccination among their teaching employees. At least 86 percent of non-teaching personnel of educational institutions have also been vaccinated, it showed.

The minister in his latest tweet said, "Reviewed the vaccination progress of teaching and non-teaching personnel of schools, institutions and skill centres associated with the education and skilling ecosystem. "With rapid vaccination at-scale in the country, we are looking at a future with restored normalcy and vibrancy in our schools and other educational and skilling institutions.”

The country decided to close down the offline functioning of schools in March 2020 ahead of a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. While several states began partially reopening schools for senior classes in October last year, they again had to be closed due to the devastating second wave of COVID-19 in April this year. It's only over the last four months that states have begun reopening schools.

Stated such as Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan, among others have reopened schools. According to the ministry's data, only West Bengal and Manipur are yet to reopen schools.

Read More: