Several Indian higher educational institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), have said that vaccinating students and staff against the coronavirus as soon as possible is the best method to assure their safe return to campus.

Because educational establishments have been closed for several months due to the Covid-19 outbreak, most higher education institutions have been working in a hybrid manner, while a few IITs have limited students staying on campus at the moment.

“Vaccination appears to be the most immediate and vital thing for everyone to stop the spread of coronavirus,” IIT Guwahati Director, TG Sitharam, told PTI on the vaccination for students.

“We, at IIT Guwahati, think that our students, professors, and staff should be provided the vaccination to guarantee the seamless reopening of the campus as cases recede and the safe return of students to campus to ensure uninterrupted learning,” he added.

IIT Madras Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi reiterated his sentiments, saying that vaccinating students on residential campuses will considerably lower the possibility of hostels reopening and classes resuming on campus.

Last month, the Education Ministry’s department of higher education wrote to the Health Ministry, demanding specific vaccination arrangements for teachers, staff, and students at Centrally Funded Technical Institutions like as IITs, NITs, IIMs, IISc, and others.

Before the vaccination effort was approved for persons under the age of 45, a request was made to vaccinate students in order to expedite their return to university. The proposal had been denied down by the Health Ministry at the time.

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