M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Mar 24: Over a week-long Jharkhand Academic Council’s matriculation and intermediate examinations, which started from today, will affect the ongoing vaccination of the eligible teens.
In Palamu, 74 examination centres have been set up at the government schools for the matriculation examination. Similarly, 37 examination centres are for the intermediate examination which have been set up at government high schools and plus 2 schools.
Teachers working in the government middle schools and others have been drafted for the invigilation duties at the examination centres.
This correspondent today reached an upgraded middle school at Hulnamar where a lone male teacher said his school has to have today’s vaccination team but as he is all alone he does not know how to go about it.
Palamu district education officer Upendra Kumar, who is holding additional charge of the district superintendent of education also, said, “We have taken the services of our teachers working in the middle schools etc for the invigilation duties at the examination centre.”
Sources said the fleet of examinees will refrain from taking vaccines during the period of the examination fearing catching febrile conditions.
Deputy Development Commissioner Megha Bhardwaj, who is the nodal officer for the anti-Covid fight Palamu, said: “It is true 111 government education institutes are now acting as the examination centres but we have chalked out a plan to keep our kids’ vaccination to run smoothly.”
She said, “We have 23 permanent Covid vaccination sites besides vaccination on wheels. They are doing a good job. We will try to vaccinate as many numbers of eligible kids as possible.”
Megha Bhardwaj further said, “Although we were given a target of 95,000 plus vaccinations of the 12 to 14 age group kids born between 2008 and 2010 but we are scrutinising and verifying how many of the eligible kids have migrated with their parents.”
“Our speed of kids’ vaccination is well and hence we understand it will not be any far off to reach the targeted vaccination of eligible teens.”
Palamu district epidemiologist Dr Anup Kumar Singh said examination time is itself a feverish time for the students and their parents may prefer to defer their kids’ vaccination till the examination gets over.
Civil surgeon Palamu Dr Anil Kumar said, “We have asked our community health centres to pull out all stops for the kids’ vaccination along with regular and precautionary dose vaccination.”
Latehar district has 29 examination centres for the matriculation examination and 17 for the intermediate examination.
Civil surgeon Latehar Dr Haren Chandra Mahto said, “We understand this problem coming in the way of the kids’ vaccination.”
