School Kids’ Covid Jabs: Joy is there, sufferings too

Long queues, mismanagement in the vaccine centres and multiple difficulties in the registration process have dampened the excitement surrounding the government's initiative to inoculate schoolchildren aged 12-17 with Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine.

"We had to stand in line for around an hour and a half to get our vaccine," Lamia Akhter, a student of Dhanmondi Kamrunnesa Govt Girls High School told The Daily Star yesterday.

Like Lamia, many other guardians and students complained about mismanagement and demanded an increased number of vaccine centres.

According to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), a list of more than 4 lakh students aged between 12 and 17 years, of schools in Dhaka, was sent to the ICT Division for vaccine registration. Of them, over 2.5 lakh have already been registered.

There are about 6.5 lakh students of 12-17 years enrolled at schools in Dhaka.

This correspondent visited the centres in Ideal School and College in Motijheel and Kakoli High School and College in Dhanmondi and found the situation outside the school gates to be chaotic.

Students had to face hurdles to even enter the school premises.

A former governing body member of Motijheel Ideal School was receiving students from the gate on Monday noon. Students from Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Shiddeshwari Girls' High School and Motijheel Govt Boys' High School were seen there.

Scout and BNCC members of the school were seen helping students.

The former governing body member, wishing anonymity, told The Daily Star that there are 24 booths at the centre but not all are open and that is why the authorities are struggling to manage the crowd.

Farid Ahmed, a guardian waiting for over half an hour for his child to get vaccinated, said he tried several times to register, but couldn't as the school authorities didn't send them the necessary information. He was able to register only after personally contacting a health ministry official.

Meanwhile, a Viqarunnisa student was barred by a BNNC member from entering the centre as she did not have her birth certificate, even though she had her vaccine card.

Guardians claimed that another major problem in registration was regarding the birth certificate number. Allegedly, those who had a 16-digit number instead of 17 were not allowed to register on the Surokkha app.

Marium Begum, a guardian, told The Daily Star that she tried several times to register her daughter -- a student of Ideal School, Banasree Branch – for the vaccine but couldn't as she had a 16-digit birth certificate number.

The Kakoli School centre, which has 24 vaccine booths, had no major hassles inside. However, due to a large number of guardians accompanying the students, entry into the centre was difficult.

Some of the students at the centre said the management inside the centre was smooth but they had to stand in line for a long time.

The government started inoculating schoolchildren aged 12 to 17 in Dhaka city on November 1 with the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech in eight centres.

The eight schools with centres are Ideal School and College in Motijheel, Hurdco International School at Bashundhara, Southpoint School and College at Malibagh, Chittagong Grammar School at Banani, Dhaka Commerce College in Mirpur, Kakoli High School and College in Dhanmondi, South Breeze School in Uttara and Scholastica School in Mirpur.

Contacted, Khandaker Azizur Rahman, senior system analyst of EMIS Cell of the DSHE, said they already spoke about the birth certificate issue with the Surokkha app team.

"We told them to allow the 16-digit certificates. They are working on it."

Keeping all the hurdles aside, many students and guardians were happy about the vaccination programme and some said they were relieved for it.

Aszadul Alam, a guardian, in front of Ideal School, told The Daily Star that he and his wife both worked in a bank and they had to go outside every day.

"We were anxious about our child. We both got jabs and Fahad's [his child] school was reopened. He was the most vulnerable at our house. Now it's safe for all of us," he said.

A group of girls, in a festive mood, came to Viqarunnisa Noon School and College.

One of them said, "Hurry up! The jabs will be stocked out soon."

In response, the guard assured, "No worries! The queue is not too long at the moment."

After getting the jabs, some students were resting in corners, verandas or nearer classrooms whereas some were feeling otherwise. In fact, one of them was heard saying, "I am too young to take a rest."