Colleges are asking first-year students aged below 18 to get immunised at camps held by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation at schools or at its clinics for children between 15 and 18 years.
Schools, both government and those affiliated to the Delhi boards, are organising vaccination camps in cooperation with the civic body or private hospitals from early this week, for students of Class IX to XII.
Some of the students who have taken admission in colleges last July are in the age group of 17 to 18 years and are being asked to take the first dose, said several principals.
Twenty-eight first-year students of St Xavier’s College, Park Street, took the first dose at the jab camp that the St Xavier’s Collegiate School has been holding from Tuesday.
The college and the school share the same premises.
Father Dominic Savio, the principal of the college, said they have found out about the first-year students who are below 18 years and asked them to get vaccinated at the camp.
“Some of the students who registered on the CoWin portal took the first dose at the school. The students who could not come can get themselves vaccinated at the CMC clinics. The college also has plans to hold the vaccination camp on its own soon,” said Father Dominic Savio.
Reverend Father M. Thamacin Arulappan, the principal of St Xavier’s Collegiate School, said that the jab camp will continue till Friday.
The education department vaccinated students at institutes of higher learning from September to October ahead of reopening of campuses for offline classes from November 16.
Vaccination then was allowed for those above 18 years.
Scottish Church College has asked students in the first-year who are below 18 years to take the first jab at the clinics being run by the civic body.
Since students are required to produce the identity card for the exercise, principal Madhumanjari Mandal signed a notice on Thursday that stated: “Students of age 17 and below are requested to collect their identity cards from the College Senatus office between 11am and 2pm on Friday and Monday”.
“We are urging the first-year students to contact the councillors of their respective wards, to get immunised,” she told Metro.
Joydeep Sarangi, the principal of New Alipore College, said that they have also asked the first-year students to take the first dose wherever they can.
“They can approach the school in their locality or the CMC clinics. They can approach the college authorities for help if they face any problem,” he said.
Jadavpur University registrar Snehamanju Basu said: “We are sending our students awaiting the second dose to a CMC-run facility near Sulekha crossing. We have plans to send the first-year students below 18 years to this facility as well for the first dose”
Principal Dominic Savio said once the offline classes resume only those who are vaccinated will be allowed to attend the offline classes. “Therefore it is a must that all the first-year students get vaccinated at the earliest,” he said.