The Sindh government decided on Monday to inoculate students of grades 9 to 12 against the coronavirus at all private and public sector schools and colleges across the province from Sep 6.

The decision in this regard was taken during a meeting chaired by Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho on Monday. Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, along with other officials, was also in attendance at the meeting.

As per the decision, as many as 1.42 million students from grades 9 to 12 will be vaccinated.

A handout from the health ministry said as many as 2,527 teams will participate in the vaccination drive at different schools and colleges.

The vaccinations will first start at the district level and will later be extended to the taluka level, said the statement.

The health minister, meanwhile, directed the schools’ administrations to take the consent of parents for vaccinating children at educational institutions.

She said the registration of vaccinated pupils would also be ensured after the completion of the process.

The health ministry has said it will complete all necessary arrangements within six days before initiating the vaccination process at all educational institutions.

Mandatory vaccines

On Aug 20, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had said that schools, colleges and universities would remain closed for another week to enable the teaching and non-teaching staff to get themselves vaccinated.

Replying to a question at a press conference at CM House in Karachi, he had said schools would reopen on Aug 30, instead of Aug 23.

The CM had said that children would have to show their parents' vaccination cards for entry into schools. “Therefore, it has become mandatory for parents to get themselves vaccinated within a week,” the chief minister had said at the time.

Later at a press conference on Aug 23, the provincial education minister announced that schools that had vaccinated 100 per cent of their staff against Covid-19 would be allowed to open from August 30.

He had said children would only be allowed to go back to school if their parents were vaccinated, adding that the parents would have to submit their vaccination certificates from the National Database and Registration Authority.