Team Herald
PANJIM: Two teachers have approached the High Court of Bombay at Goa challenging the State government’s circular mandating teachers and non-teaching staff to get immunised for COVID-19. The petitioners have urged the judiciary to quash the circular and direct the government as well as the Department of Education to issue a corrigendum that vaccination be voluntary for the teaching and non-teaching community.
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Education Director Dilip Bhagat had issued a circular on July 13 making vaccination compulsory while also directing the school staff to ensure that their family members are also vaccinated without any delay as a precaution to prevent any transmission through them.
“In the interest of the health of the students, all the teaching and non-teaching staff of the schools should get vaccinated urgently without any further delay. The staff members, who do not get vaccinated for any reason by then, must submit RTPCR report possibly, weekly, once to attend to their duties in the school,” the circular had said.
The petitioners, terming the circular as arbitrary and illegal, have urged the High Court that an interim stay be granted and that Education Department be directed to not take any coercive measures/action against the petitioners pending the hearing and final disposal of the petition.
The academic year 2021-22 for schools commenced on June 21 via online mode and decision on physical classes is expected after Ganesh Chaturthi.
