UGC asks universities to start vaccine registration for students

The University Grants Commission has asked residential students at public universities to register for the coronavirus vaccine shot on a priority basis.

In a notice on Thursday, the commission directed university registrars to take "appropriate action" to facilitate the registration process, reports bdnews24.com.

The students, who were on the list sent by universities to the health directorate for vaccination, will be able to complete the registration process on the Surokkha app.

Until May 31, the list included more than 100,000 names.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she hoped the government would be able to open higher education institutions as soon as the college and university students are vaccinated.

Schools across the country have remained closed due to the pandemic since March 2020.

The government announced plans to reopen schools several times but has backtracked in the face of a rising COVID-19 caseload.

The education ministry has since extended the shutdown of all educational institutions to Jul 31.

Earlier, the government had planned to open residential halls and resume classes in May after vaccinating everyone at the university level. But the plans were put on the backburner in the face of a surge in COVID-19 cases coupled with a vaccine crisis.