SSC examinees to get priority in vaccination: Dipu Moni

Education Minister Dipu Moni has said the candidates of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams will be inoculated on priority basis during the ongoing vaccination campaign for school students. 

The sooner the vaccination programme will be successful, the sooner it will be possible to launch full-fledged academic activities, said the minister while inaugurating the vaccination campaign for students aged between 12-17 at the Motijheel Ideal School and College in the capital today. 

The vaccination campaign would be taken far by the beginning of the new year and the academic activities could be launched, the minister hoped. 

She said the SSC candidates will be inoculated first as the exams are scheduled to be started from 14 November. However, students from other classes will also get their jabs simultaneously.

She added that considering the enthusiasm of students and demands from the guardians for vaccination, the education and the health ministries jointly started vaccination activities for students aged between 12-17. 

Health Minister Zahid Maleque who was present at the same programme said three crore of vaccines are required to inoculate all students. The country has an arrangement of 2 crore doses and the rest will be managed too. 

The health minister disclosed that the country has so far received 21 crore doses of vaccines including the bought and gifted ones and the government has plans to purchase more doses. 

Secretaries of health and education Mahbub Hossain, Director General of the Department of Health Professor Khurshid Alam and others were also present on the occasion presided over by Lokman Hossain Miah.

Education Secretary Mahbub Hossain, DGHS Director Prof Khurshid Alam were present at the programme which was presided over by Md Lokman Miah, secretary of the Health Service Divisions.