West Bengal: Jab data collection sparks campus activity hope

KOLKATA: The higher education department has started collating data of teaching and non-teaching staff in colleges in the state with respect to their vaccination status, rekindling hope among principals of resumption of some sort of on-campus activity.
Most city colleges have taken the details from staff and submitted them to the higher education department. The latter has separately sought information for those between 18 and 44, and those above 45.
The education department had sought the details in the last week of May and several colleges have complied.
“Colleges were told to collect the information on a priority basis. We submitted the information within a week,” said Tapan Kumar Poddar, principal of Vivekananda College and president of the Calcutta University chapter of All Bengal Principals’ Council.
Principals said more than 70% of staff under 44 have not been vaccinated yet.
Though the government has not mentioned why the vaccination status of the staff has been collected, principals have been unofficially informed the state wants to resume some on-campus academic activities when the teaching community is vaccinated.
“Once admissions to UG courses begin, many teachers will have to come to college,” said a principal of a south Kolkata college.