Thiruvananthapuram: Education minister V Sivankutty has said that there are 1,707 teachers and non-teaching staff who have not taken COVID vaccine in the state yet.
The minister said that the government does not want to release their names and other details at the moment.
In lower primary, upper primary and high school levels 1,066 teachers have not taken the COVID vaccine. In the non-teaching category, there are 189 staff members and the total comes to 1,255.
At higher secondary level 200 teachers have not taken vaccine while 23 non-teaching staff are yet to get vaccinated.
In the vocational higher secondary level, 229 teachers have not taken the vaccine. However, all non-teaching staff members are vaccinated in this sector.
The highest number of unvaccinated teachers are in Malappuram district 201 and the lowest in Wayanad district.
The data of unvaccinated teachers and non-teaching staff:
Thiruvananthapuram - (LP, UP, high school - 87, non-teaching staff - 23.Total 110.
Kollam - teachers -67, non-teaching staff -23, total -90.
Pathanamthitta - Teachers - 40, non-teaching staff - 11, total 51.
Kottayam - teachers -61, non-teaching staff - 13, total - 74.
Idukki - teachers -36, non-teaching staff 7, total 43.
Alappuzha - teachers - 77, non. Teaching staff - 12, total 89.
Ernakulam - teachers 89, non-teaching staff 17 and a total 106.
Thrissur - teachers - 89, non-teaching staff -21, total 124.
Palakkad - teachers 54, non-teaching staff - 7, total 61.
Malappuram -teachers -184, non teaching staff- 17 ,total 201.
Kozhikode - teachers 136, non-teaching staff - 15, total 151.
Wayanad - teachers - 25, non teaching staff - 4, total 29.
Kannur - teachers - 25, non-teaching staff 15, total 90
Kasargod - teachers 32, non-teaching staff 4, total 36.
Sivankutty said in the first phase the education department had received a list of 5,000 unvaccinated teachers. The government gave specific instructions that teachers who have not taken COVID should not come to schools.
The directive was accepted by the teaching and non-teaching staff.
With the confidence level of parents increasing due to disease prevention activities undertaken by the government, the number of students coming to schools also went up significantly.
Under these circumstances, there were discussions in the media about the teachers who had not taken vaccination yet.
Subsequently, the government decided to make the list public, the minister said.
The Central guideline clearly states that all teachers and non-teaching staff should get vaccinated. There are 47 lakh students up to plus two-level.
Sivankutty said the education and health of the students are of utmost importance and the government was moving forward keeping in mind these factors.