BENGALURU / HUBBALLI: government mandates that parents of students who want to attend classes on campus should be fully vaccinated difficult to implement because it violates the right to education, said education department officials and experts from the field.
“Enforcement only through moral satire or penalty.
In this case only the prevailing moral satire, “said a senior official of the department of public instruction.
“How can we enforce the rules? If a child comes to school, we can send it back? The right to education does not allow it.
Do Epidemic Act or the Disaster Management Act says nothing about it? Even if we get an undertaking from the parents that they were vaccinated, which will verify it? ” The state has imposed new rules day after two people in Bengaluru detected by Omicron, the new coronavirus variant attention.
It said students under the age of 18 will be allowed on campus only if their parents are fully vaccinated.
While some educators, child right activists, doctors and lawyers demanded that the deadline given to the parents to take the second dose before applying the rules, others say the mandate is not only infringing the Education Act but also contradicts affidavit filed by the Center in the Court Great.
Meanwhile, private schools say they have parents information about the new rules and urged them to comply.
“We are waiting for guidance from the government,” said D Shashi Kumar, secretary, Association of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka.
“Until then, we can not punish the child by not allowing her to attend classes.
Since last year, we have been urging the government to prioritize vaccination for parents of children of school going.
That has not happened.
And now, what’s the point in not allowing children in the class? They have lost about one-and-a-half years of school is valuable.
” He said they were looking for a special vaccination drive near schools for parents.
Chandrashekhar Nugli, general secretary, Karnataka State Primary School Teachers’ Association, said many parents in rural areas do not remember when they took the first dose.
This association has also written to the government asking him to free them from extra tasks gather information on the vaccination status of parents.
Contrary to the statement “The school has reopened after a break of nearly two years.
We must focus on teaching and not on administrative tasks, “said Nugli.
“If we spend our time going to the health center, how children are supposed to catch up? This work should be given to the health department.
” Niranjaradhya VP, educator, said “can not prevent children from getting education”, while Dr Srinivas Kakkilaya, senior physician consultant in Mangaluru, said the Center had informed the Supreme Court that vaccinations are not compulsory.
“We collect orders that bar children from school if their parents are not vaccinated.
The trial has been postponed until December 13.
We will ensure that our voices are heard there, “he said.
However, not everyone is cut with the new rules.
Lokesh T, of Recognized Private Unaided Schools Association, said, “One of the conditions of many of our member-schools advocate when we come back on-campus classes is that parents are fully vaccinated.
We will ensure that this is followed now.
” Confusion reignsMeanwhile, schools across the country that sends a message to parents to submit their vaccination certificates, warning that their wards will not be allowed if they do not comply.
Aravind Meti, President, Karnataka Unaided Schools Management Association of Northern, said they were puzzled over prohibit children from class.
“The government should be given a deadline for parents to get vaccinated before barring children of parents who are not vaccinated,” he said.
Hebballi Prakash, member, Karnataka School Parents Association, an online group, confirmed that he received a message from the school.
“Schools are not warned that they would send my children at home.
Before applying this cruel rule, the government must have information about the number of parents who vaccinated through school, “he said.